Departer
by SwallowTheSun
Summary: The Pokémon World is shocked when the unthinkable happens, several thousand people have been killed and the murderer is missing. Sinnoh Champion Cynthia teams up with Ash's mother Delia and his old travelling companions to try and find Ash and unravel the mystery, but they're not the only ones looking for him... Contains violence, swearing, beloved character death and mature humour
1. Chapter 1: Enter The Colossus

**Hello all, I am Swallow The Sun and this is the new and improved version of my first story 'Departer'.**

**If you are new to this story then welcome! I hope you enjoy it.  
>If you are not and are wondering what has been changed but can't be bothered reread these long chapters, please refer to the author's note at the end.<strong>

**Here's the background to this story:  
>Ash started his journey at 13, because no sensible mother would send a 10 year old into the wilderness.<br>He followed the Anime journeys but after Unova he decided to redo Sinnoh, again with Brock and Dawn, instead of going to Kalos.  
>He competed in the Lily of the Valley Conference and reached the finals, which is where this story starts.<br>Kalos will be mentioned, and Mega-Evolutions will play a big role, but Ash's journey there won't happen.**

**Ash is now 20, Misty 21, Brock 26, May 20, Max 15 Dawn 18, Iris 20, Gary 20, Cilan 23, Tracey 24.**

**Also Pokémon will have amazing healing potential in this story, so don't be too alarmed by seemingly grievously injured Pokémon. I will make it clear if a Pokémon has suffered any _really _dangerous wounds.**

**I feel I must confess that I have not actually watched the Anime beyond the Orange Archipelago, so nearly all interpretations of all characters not featured in the Kanto and Orange seasons will be based off the many stories I have read here. I apologise for any incorrect assumptions which I may have thought of as canon.**

**I must warn you that this story will be violent and gruesome; there is a torture scene pretty early on and there will be a lot of beloved character death. I am unsure whether I will write any lemons in this. That will be up to you. But there will mature implications and humour.**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of dashes separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: Enter The Colossus<strong>

**_Lily of the Valley Island; 23/03/2013  
>Finals:<em>**

A Trainer and his Pokémon walked into the room.

The raven haired man sat down and scooped up his pikachu; he remained there awhile, tightly hugging his companion as his mind traveled back to a happier time when he had first been given Pikachu as his starter Pokémon and the adventures the two of them had shared since. He wanted to cherish those memories forever as he knew he wouldn't be able to for much longer.

He remembered the countless nights they had shared staring up at the stars, all the grand sunsets they had watched together. He remembered training with him, perfecting the little mouse's electric techniques while he himself built up a little muscle. He remembered all the times that they faced impossible odds and yet his little mouse always persevered and succeeded, and when they didn't succeed, well he still could not be more proud of his best friend. The bond that he shared with his first Pokémon was very rare indeed, matched only by a few people in the world. He had met one once, he had also had a pikachu.

The Trainer supposed that his bond with his Pokémon was why those who had approached him had selected him. They knew that his Pokémon would do anything for him… even die. He suddenly felt it coming with trepidation; they said it would be uncomfortable, for both him and his Pokémon.

Suddenly the air in his lungs felt hot and putrid, he felt as though roots were slowly climbing up his spine and filling his skull. He felt as a volcano, about to erupt. He felt as though he had not enough skin to cover his body, as if he was expanding and his flesh was straining. He felt darkness filling his body, flowing through his veins, filling his fingers, burning his throat and chaining his heart. He clutched his head and screamed in pain, briefly wondering if he was screaming louder than his pikachu was. They had said it would be uncomfortable, but they never mentioned the pain.

The pain didn't fade, but it eventually did dull. He steeled himself, catching his breath before kissing his starter on his head and stood up, "You ready Pikachu? This is it now, there's no coming back from this." He said, his voice cracking in despair. The pikachu gazed sadly amidst winces of pain at his master before solemnly nodding at him. The raven-haired man stifled a sob at his pikachu's broken expression and turned his face away. "Let's go then, it's time to fulfill your… destiny…" The man spat out the word 'destiny' as if it were a vile taste in his mouth.

A Trainer and his Pokémon had walked into the room, two martyrs walked out.

#########

The crowd was roaring with anticipation and the ground was trembling slightly under the immense weight of all the spectators moving about in excitement. The cheers of the crowd washed over the man and caused his skin to prickle with the familiar sensation of goose bumps.

Paul opened his eyes and smirked; this is what he lived for, to feel the might of his fans behind him as he crushed his opponents into the ground with his superior Pokémon team. He was particularly excited today as not only had he made it to the finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference, but his opponent was none other than his rival, Ash Ketchum, a man he had come to respect almost as much as he despised.

He admitted that Ash's way of training seemed to produce some very admirable results, but Paul was determined to show Ash that power should come first when training Pokémon, and what better way to prove that than defeating him in front of several thousand people?

Paul assumed his usual apathetic expression as he strode forth under the gaze of his many fans to the centre of the stadium, where Ash Ketchum awaited.

The lavender haired man grimaced as he heard Dawn's shrill screams piercing through the cacophony as she cheered for Ash; even amidst a crowd of several thousand people that troublesome girl managed to somehow make herself heard. He thought he could see Ketchum's other friend, the horny one, smiling proudly at Ash with his arms crossed. Paul scoffed and then focused his attention on his opponent.

Ketchum stood with his arms crossed, unsmiling and unwavering and with an expression of… sorrow? Paul frowned; considering that he himself could barely contain his excitement and that Ketchum seemed to have a penchant for immature displays of eagerness, Paul would have thought that the raven haired boy would literally be bouncing up and down, not seemingly about to break down into tears. What was wrong with him?

Mentally shrugging Paul decided to ignore Ketchum's strange attitude and as he reached the centre of the stadium, he stretched out his hand and greeted his opponent. "Good luck Ketchum, may the better Trainer win," he said surprisingly politely. Ash stared down at Paul's hand with barely concealed agony before grasping his hand and raising his eyes back to Paul's face and speaking, "I really hope you survive this O'Connell, they'll need you before the end."

#########

Brock frowned; what the hell was that? He had seen the confrontation and although he couldn't hear the words exchanged, it was clear that Ash had said something that disturbed Paul. Dawn also noticed it and turned to Brock. "What was that Brock? What's wrong with Ash?"

Brock shook his head and replied. "I'm not sure Dawn." Then, deciding to comfort Dawn. "But I'm sure everything's fine, Ash is probably just feeling a bit nervous, Arceus knows I would be acting strange in his position." Dawn smiled and agreed. "Yeah that must be it, he's come too far to lose now, the pressure he must feeling would be too much for me to handle." Brock smiled at Dawn's optimism, but inwardly frowned; his gut was telling him that something was wrong… very wrong.

#########

Paul narrowed his eyes in shock and confusion, there was definitely something wrong with Ketchum. Since when was Pokémon battling about surviving? And since when did Ketchum go about referring to people by their surname?

And what was this about the 'end'? Sure battling your rival in the finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference was a pretty epic occurrence but it could hardly be compared to a battle to the death, a prospect that Ash seemed to refer to by speaking about the 'end', also, why the hell was he so sad? Had somebody just died?

Paul, still frowning in confusion, hastily turned around and walked back to his podium at a rather uneven pace as he tried to grasp what just happened. Although almost definitively overreacting, his thoughts had begun to dangle on the edge between common sense and indescribable dread; he had the terrible feeling that something bad was about to happen.

He turned around to see that Ash had already reached his podium and that the referee was about to begin the battle. The referee stepped forward and gestured all around to quiet the crowd down. It took a while but finally the deafening cheers began to die down.

Eventually a state of absolute silence was reached, so piercing that one could probably hear a ninjask's wings humming softly were there one present. The referee took a deep breath and then began to shout, his microphone amplifying his voice so that it echoed around the entire stadium. "This is a 6 vs 6 Pokémon battle between Paul O'Connell of Veilstone City and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, the victor of which will take home the Lily of the Valley trophy and be given the chance to face the Sinnoh Elite Four and finally the Regional Champion, Cynthia!"

The crowd erupted in cacophony, screaming and cheering in pure excitement and joy as the prospect of a Pokémon battle of epic proportions beginning just a few seconds away filled their minds. The referee gestured again and once that same piercing silence was achieved again, he smiled widely and shouted. "Now! Trainers… CHOOSE YOUR FIRST POKEMON!"

The crowd roared once again as Paul picked a PokéBall from his belt and proceeded to toss it out onto the open field, "Aggron! Deliver unto my foes your relentless carnage!" The referee, and a few others in the crowd, winced slightly at Paul's introduction but Paul didn't really care all that much, he had always been a bit of an absolutist.

#########

Back in the stands Dawn was openly laughing and even Brock had traces of mirth around his worried face. Dawn turned to Brock and said "Haha! What a ridiculous way to introduce a Pokémon eh Brock?" Brock, despite his feeling of dread, replied with a large smile, however it was quickly wiped off his face when he glanced at Ash… What the hell was he doing?!

#########

A huge bipedal figure appeared on the field and roared thunderously as it stamped its steel-clad claws into the ground, making the stadium quake tremendously. Primarily black and grey, it had a huge girth and a long, thick black tail. Upon its head appeared to be a steel skull resembling that of some prehistoric carnivore, with two lethal looking horns protruding directly above its piercing blue eyes.

Paul and his Iron Armour Pokémon Aggron proceeded to stare ahead at whatever Pokémon their rival had chosen for the first round, but to their shock they found not one, but three Pokémon on the field. Every few seconds or so they seemed to cringe as though they were in pain, so did Ketchum, Paul noticed. In the centre was Ketchum's most famous Pokémon, a small yellow mouse with long black-tipped pointy ears. Two red spots were present on the mouse's cheeks while its tail was shaped like that of childish depiction of a thunderbolt, its root the same dark brown as the horizontal stripes that ran down his back. Paul thought that there was something slightly different bout the pikachu, but he was far more concerned with Ketchum's actions than his Pokémon.

To the left of Pikachu was a floating ore of obsidian with two horns protruding from amidst the exoskeleton of ice that surrounded its body and framed its piercing blue eyes and flat teeth. To the right of Pikachu was a large butterfly, its snout the same colour as its pale blue legs and paws. It had large black-veined white wings and huge red compound eyes that watched everything on the battlefield simultaneously.

The crowd cried out in outrage, prompting the referee to move forward and call out, "Trainer Ketchum! This is a single Pokémon battle! Choose one Pokémon and recall the others now or you will be disqualified from the match!" The raven-haired man ignored the referee and gazed sorrowfully at Pikachu, who returned the gaze, then, his voice breaking as the full implications of what he was about to do hit him, he began to shout out commands to his team: "Butterfree, use Stun Spore and then use Gust to spread it all around the stadium. Glalie! Use Double Team and begin orbiting Pikachu, then use Gyro Ball but don't target anything! Pikachu use Light Screen; don't let Butterfree's spores paralyze you or Glalie!"

Paul watched helplessly and with shock as golden spores began to pour out of Butterfree's pores to form a thick cloud around the butterfly. Then Butterfree's wings flapped forward and sent the cloud rushing throughout the stadium. The spores entered through all of Paul's orifices and his body immediately sensed an overload of foreign particles.

In panic his brain sent electrical impulses down his spine as it tried to urgently relay the message to his immune system to destroy the spores. However the relentless wave of electrical impulses, its power amplified by the secondary effect of the spores, only caused more problems as it temporarily fried Paul's nerves and synapses, freezing him in place and effectively paralyzing him. The only organs and muscles he could use were those of his lungs, throat, nose, eyes and tongue; he could still breathe, see and talk, as was the case for everyone else in the stadium.

#########

"Brock! What's going on! What's wrong with Ash? What's he doing?!" Brock's earlier feeling of dread returned a thousand fold as he stared at Ash. "I don't know Dawn! I've never seen Ash like this!" It was true; what he saw on Ash's face wasn't fear, it wasn't hate, it wasn't happiness or ominous fury… it was pure unbridled agony and sorrow…

Brock's words did little to comfort to Dawn and she began shaking in fear as frightened tears squeezed from her tightly shut eyes. Around her people were reacting the same way; it seemed no one could make sense of what Ash was doing, and they were absolutely terrified because of it.

#########

Meanwhile rotating around Pikachu were several glowing Glalie, its use of Gyro Ball temporarily creating a metallic aura and therefore gaining the magnetic properties of certain metals. Ash gasped, dragging himself out of his pain and sadness and congratulated his Pokémon; "Good work Butterfree! Come stay with me and help me get out of here when the time comes; I can't move either."

"Pikachu use Reverse Magnet Rise!", "Pika!" Pikachu slammed his tail into the ground as his body became surrounded with intense sparks, absorbing the roaming electrons surrounding the multiple Glalie thus making Pikachu's skin negatively charged and the white aura of the Glalie positively charged. Due to the natural attraction between positively and negatively charged objects, the Glalie begun to slowly drift towards Pikachu until they had tightly packed the little mouse in the centre of a revolving circle.

Ash paused then and, with tears streaming down his face and a broken voice, whispered, "Goodbye my old friend…" before shouting out the last words his Pokémon would ever hear, "Pikachu, use Thunder and Glalie, use Explosion! Butterfree! Get me out of here!"  
>Ash squeezed his eyes shut and screamed in sorrow as he heard Pikachu's last confirmation. His mind was again flooded with memories of Pikachu with him on his journey, from the day they had met to this morning. And as the memories broke him down, he whispered while sobbing, "I'm so proud of you buddy, I will always love you. Farewell."<p>

#########

Time seemed to slow down to a standstill for Paul as he and the thousands of people around him watched on in horror while the multiple Glalie began to glow a brilliant white. He didn't realise he was crying, or that he was on his knees. He didn't hear the terrified screams around him as people desperately tried to move their limbs in order to flee the impending disaster. He didn't notice Butterfree land on a weeping Ketchum's head and use Teleport, warping his particles and tearing a hole through the fabric of reality to disappear into thin air.

He also didn't see that Pikachu's Light Screen had unintentionally protected Aggron and that it had resisted the Stun Spore until it had leapt up onto the podium, gathered Paul in his arms and used Iron Defense in one last act of incredible bravery and compassion.

#########

Dawn screamed in fear along with everyone else in the stadium. She was openly weeping now, trembling and emptying her bowels. Brock could only stand still in shock as the man he loved as a brother ordered genocide. He glanced around the stadium and watched as people frantically tried to break free from their paralysis. He saw mothers and fathers frantically screaming at their children, trying to reach out to them to envelop them in one last hug, but remaining still as statues where they were. He was startled to find tears dripping off his cheeks as well; he hoped his family would be alright without him.

Brock gazed down at the small, trembling blue haired girl next to him and with indescribable pain and sorrow he decided to offer his last few words of comfort and brotherly love to her. "Dawn… Dawn listen to me… Everything is going to be fine, just close your eyes and think of the happiest time of your life. Cherish that memory and nothing can hurt you, you'll see, there's no need to wor-"

The mass of white light that was Glalie and Pikachu suddenly intensified as a massive fork of lightning struck it from the now cloudy skies. The light expanded rapidly, encompassing the entire stadium and blinding everybody. Within the white light ran strong electrical currents that shocked everyone with the intensity of the lightning from the skies. Clothing was ignited and flesh was roasted, organs were liquefied and bones were shattered. And then the light exploded.

The sound of concrete shattering and bodies being ripped apart could be heard for miles in any direction. The screams were instantly silenced as incredible heat melted through what remained of flesh and bone, igniting hair and the plastic of the chairs. Several thousand lives were ended abruptly; adult, child and Pokémon alike.

#########

Nothing and only one person escaped the might of Ash Ketchum's Pokémon, for as the dust settled, revealing bloody mist and crumbling walls where the entire stadium had once stood, there lay the charred corpse of Aggron and beneath him, wrapped tightly in his arms, lay Paul O'Connell, who could only listen not to the people's cheers and screams of excitement as he felled one of Ash's Pokémon, but rather to the deathly silence of the aftermath of a massacre.

Paul's mind barely registered that he was alive and that it was because his own Pokémon sacrificed his life for him, he briefly wondered whether his brother had made it to the match in time and if he had been incinerated as well before the dark clutches of unconsciousness grasped him and dragged him into the recesses of his mind.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Somewhere; somewhen  
>Somehow:<em>**

The blade dripped crimson while the mess of bloodspots on the floor grew ever larger and more complete as the victim screamed and thrashed against his bonds. The wielder of the blade grinned as he felt the reverberations of his victim's screams through the steel of his knife as it skittered upon his victim's flesh like a Yanmega upon the surface of a still pond, carving deeper and deeper and yet never inflicting any mortal wounds.

Briefly the wielder wondered how much pain a man could take before even a blissey couldn't keep the man alive. He smirked as he realized that his Alakazam could probably keep anyone alive no matter the pain they went through; it was a prime specimen after all. He wagered that his Alakazam could ensure the victim would live through a skinning and then place the flesh back upon his bones as if it were never peeled off.

The wielder sneered; that idea could be put to use later, a last resort to get this man to break.

A gurgling rasp amidst the screams and moans snapped the wielder back to what he was doing. He cursed and wrenched the knife free of the deep puncture wound he had accidentally inflicted while lost in his thoughts. He turned to Alakazam and gestured to the wound, Alakazam nodded and crossed his spoons, his eyes began to glow an ethereal blue as his mind utilized the thousands of IQ he had to warp the fabric of reality and perform the move known as 'Recover'.

The victim's entire body was suddenly surrounded in that same ethereal blue and he gasped as his body began to convulse. The convulsions stopped almost immediately and instead his body began to quiver. All his wounds began to slowly close up living only pink scars until they too began to turn white and then fade away.

The wielder smiled; 'Recover' was a fascinating move, the user of the move delved deep into the body of the receiver and copied the structure and formula of the receiver's unique white blood cells. Once the data of the cells had been memorized, the user then began to replicate the blood cells radically and then spread the cells to all the sites of infliction on the body. All the replicated blood cells were suspended in that ethereal blue aura so that when the process was complete and the aura had faded away, the blood cells within faded away as well so as not cause a huge chemical imbalance in the receiver's body.

The wielder grimaced; he had seen that once. When his alakazam was just a kadabra and it tried to heal another of his Pokémon, it had failed to successfully dispel the healing aura. The Pokémon's white blood cells malfunctioned and began to attack every other cell in the body. The wielder had decided to put it out its misery when its flesh began to dissolve.

When Alakazam was done, the victim's flesh looked like that of a newborn, any scars or blemishes prior to the torturing also having been healed. The wielder wiped his blade clean with disinfectant-covered cloth, it would certainly be anticlimactic if his victim died from an infection after all, and he looked upon his victim.

He smiled as he heard the whimpering and ragged breaths; 'Recover' only healed physical trauma inflicted upon the receiver, any emotional trauma the receiver had experienced was there to stay.

The wielder moved closer, blade in hand, as he once again attempted to interrogate his victim. "Come, come, Mr. Ketchum, you must ask yourself if all this pain is really worth these secrets. After all, you haven't seen your wife in at least 20 years and you haven't even met your son, they probably don't care about you anymore, so why should you care about them? I don't even care about your wife, all I want is your son and you've never even met him so you should have no emotional connection with him at all. So tell me, where is Ash Ketchum?"

As he spoke he twirled the blade around his fingers with skill and precision; he was very experienced with the blade, as he was sure Mr. Ketchum realized for himself while it was cutting his flesh earlier.

Although the victim's hands were bound tightly to his side he managed to gesture the wielder to come closer with a curling of his fingers. The wielder grinned and leaned to hear the victim's whisper. The victim managed to groan out his words, "Why don't you take one of those lovely spoons of your Alakazam over there… and then proceed to go fuck yourself with it."

The wielder's grin only intensified and as he turned to Alakazam, he spoke rather gleefully, "You'll soon be repenting those words Mr. Ketchum," he said to the man, and then to Alakazam, "Fetch Kabutops but don't teleport or project your thoughts to it; you need to conserve your psychic energy, you're going to have to if Mr. Ketchum is to survive his ordeal."

The wielder turned back to his victim and spoke all too sinisterly, "I would say that I had been hoping it wouldn't come to this, but then I would be lying and far be it for me to lie to a clearly honourable man such as yourself."

The wielder chuckled briefly before continuing. "The truth is I have been looking forward to this for a very long time Mr. Ketchum. Now, I've noticed that, aside from a whole lot of screaming and groaning, you're not really using your tongue much are you? Well, far be it for me to let you prance around with such a useless organ if you don't even need it!"

The victim chuckled, much to the agitation of his torturer, and with a condescending voice, spoke. "And how do you plan to learn what I know if I can't form the words?" To the victim's dread, the wielder started laughing uproariously.

The wielder wiped his eyes before explaining. "My dear friend, although Psychic Pokémon cannot force their way into our heads, which is infuriating to say the least," The wielder glared at his Alakazam as if it were somehow his fault, Alakazam just returned his glare with an empty stare.

"Alakazam can pry the secrets from your head when you surrender to him, so I have little use for your tongue as well. And if removing your tongue doesn't loosen it," the wielder paused and chuckled a little at his unintentional pun, "You needn't worry; Kabutops has plenty of ways to make you talk Mr. Ketchum. I've seen him eviscerate a man in the space of two seconds, I'm not sure that he actually even felt it at first, but after a few seconds his facial expression was a great source of amusement to me!"

The wielder paused to lose himself in memories of excessive violence as his psychopathic mind delighted at them. "When you are ready to be cooperative project your thoughts to Alakazam, the torturing will cease immediately."

The victim shuddered and whimpered as the wielder began to chuckle ominously at the sight of Alakazam returning with an accomplice; a bipedal crustacean whose wicked claws clacked against the cold steel floor, it had a dark brown exoskeleton that covered its head and extended down his back, where it jutted out in a mess of spikes and ridges. Its chest was covered in hard pectoral bones, which extended down to cover its abdominal region as well.

But what was most frightening about the creature was that instead of hands, the creature had vicious looking scythes that shone through countless years of honing and polishing, those blades could most likely slice through the hard exterior of a steelix like a hot knife through butter, never mind the soft flesh of a human.

The wielder greeted the new arrival with barely contained glee, "Kabutops, don't go easy on him, Alakazam will ensure that he survives and will stop you when he hears a result." The wielder turned away and began heading towards the exit as he saw the creature's blades descending, the muffled screams had already started before he had taken his second step and as he approached the door, his grin only grew.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Twinleaf Town; 26/03/2013_**

Johanna Berlitz stood quietly as she fiddled with her black dress, absentmindedly tugging at her belt buckle as she wondered what her daughter was up to; how far had she gone on her journey? Why was she wearing black of all colours? How close was Dawn getting to her next Contest ribbon? Had she already won several? She really loved Dawn dearly, and she wished she could see more of her, she wished she could hear Dawn's signature catchphrase 'no need to worry' once again.

_"No need to worry"_

She smiled as she heard it again in her head, said in Dawn's own sweet voice. While she missed her daughter she knew she was in good company; with the mature and incredibly sensible Brock looking after her and Ash, the good-natured and friendly Pokémon Trainer. Ash was a decent boy and a formidable battler, he had his morals in the right place and he was a lying, massacring psychopath. Johanna frowned; where had _that_ come from?

_"No need to worry"_

"Mrs… Mrs. Berlitz? I'm s-so sorry for your loss, D-Dawn didn't deserve this… No one deserved this…" Johanna snapped her head up, startled, as she heard someone addressing her. There in front of her stood Kenny, his hands nervously smoothing the invisible wrinkles in his black suit and his combed auburn hair framing his face as his coal black eyes glistened with tears. "…What? What didn't Dawn deserve?" Johanna asked in honest confusion.

_"No need to worry"_

Kenny widened his eyes with concern and confusion as he asked Johanna, "Mrs. Berlitz, are you alright?" Johanna blinked in confusion and began to take in her surroundings. She was standing in a cemetery on an overcast day while people milled around her, also all dressed in black. She caught a few pitying and sorrowful gazes thrown in her direction and began to wonder what was going on.

_"No need to worry"_

She glanced behind Kenny to see a closed empty casket. She paused; how would she know that the casket was empty if it was closed? Her gaze trailed up the casket and eventually reached a slab of stone with words etched upon its surface. She read the words with trepidation.

_"No need to worry"_

'Here lies Dawn Berlitz,

A loving daughter and a friend to all,

Her beautiful smile and spirit will remain forever in our hearts.

(1994-2013)

R.I.P'

With an anguished cry Johanna fell to her knees and began heaving, but nothing came up. She remembered everything; the casket was empty because all that was left of her daughter was her murderer's namesake. Johanna had a very loving and gentle spirit, a thing that her daughter, _"No need to worry" _had inherited, but Johanna knew without a doubt that she wanted Ash Ketchum dead; she wanted to spit on his bones before they were grinded into oblivion by her Kangaskhan. She wanted Ash to feel the pain that her beautiful baby girl had felt before her last breath.

_"No need to worry"_

Having finally stopped retching, she threw her head back and let loose a heart wrenching scream of absolute pain as she heard Dawn's voice over and over again,_ "No need to worry",_ before her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed in a heap in front of her only daughter's empty casket. The last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness was her darling daughter's dear voice.

_"No need to worry, I'll be back before you know it!"_

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Pewter City Gym/Harrison household; 28/03/2013_**

Lola glanced worriedly out the window as she washed the dishes and what she saw was the cause for her worry. Ever since the funeral two days ago, Forrest had been training his Pokémon brutally and without rest. His Pokémon were tired and ill and could hardly find the energy to move, never mind battle, yet still Forrest commanded them to battle each other and never let up. She could feel the cold waves of anger radiating from her now eldest son that had been present since Brock's funeral.

Aside from Rhyperior, his strongest Pokémon, Forrest had a full team of ruthlessly strong rock Pokémon that cared for him as deeply as any Pokémon would for a once loving Trainer like Forrest. Surrounding him was Onix (the offspring of Brock's steelix), Golem (the offspring of Brock's geodude), Tyranitar, Omastar, and Aerodactyl, the last two a gift from the local museum curator for earning the status as one of the toughest Gym Leaders in Kanto, behind Misty and Sabrina.

Suddenly Rhyperior fell down, beaten and unconscious and causing his fellow teammates to stop battling as they gathered around him in concern. "What's going on? What's happening?" Forrest demanded as he tried to shove his Pokémon out of the way. When he reached the fallen Drill Pokémon his eyes widened in fury and began to prod the Pokémon in order to wake it up. "Rhyperior! Get up now! Don't start slacking; only weak Pokémon slack and I don't train weak Pokémon!"

The mass of rock was unresponsive and this only served to agitate Forrest further, his prods became more solid until he began punching and pounding the Pokémon. "Get up! Get up and fight you pathetic lump of shit! Ash is out there alive and well and you are just lying around doing nothing?! I won't let that bastard get away with this! I won't! I can't! YOU HEAR ME ASH KETCHUM! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS, I WON'T LET YOU! I WON'T LET YOU!"

By now Forrest had stopped beating on Rhyperior, his hands a bloody and broken mess cupping his face. He wept as he thought of his brother, a man he loved more than anyone, perhaps even more than his father. He thought of his brother's killer, a man Brock trusted more than anyone else in the world, perhaps even more than his own family. Ash had repaid that trust with a violent death that someone like Brock didn't deserve.

Lola dropped the bowl she was currently drying, uncaring of whether it broke or not as she ran outside to her distraught son. Forrest's Pokémon were standing around him in a circle staring down at him with sad eyes when Lola reached him.

Lola paid them no heed as she pushed Omastar out of the way to reach her beloved son. She fell to her knees and wrapped her son in her arms and held him tight. Forrest's Pokémon huddled around them willing their love into the heartbroken pair. It was a sad time in the household of the Harrison's as mother and son held each other and wept, mourning their fallen son and brother.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Police Station; 01/04/2013_**

Delia Ketchum sat in silence and stared vacantly into space as the woman sitting opposite her flipped through some papers attached to the clipboard she held. Her dazed mind couldn't focus very well since news of what was now being referred to as a terrorist attack on the Lily of the Valley Island, now cruelly dubbed 'The Valley of Death' despite there being no valley on the island.

How was she supposed to believe that her son, her dear, loving Ash Ketchum, was responsible for killing one hundred thousand people? The other woman sighed and shook her head, causing her neat pale blue hair to whip around her face. "Look Mrs. Ketchum, the sooner you tell us more about your son, the sooner you can leave. Please, is there anything, anything at all that you can think of when you last saw Ash that could've given you some indication about what he was planning?"

Delia snapped out of her daze and narrowed her eyes at police woman opposite her. She then spoke with the ferocity of a mother bear protecting her cub. "I will not tell you anything about my son because he is innocent; there is no way Ash would kill all those people and two of his closest friends like that! He has the gentlest soul I have ever witnessed and I consider myself blessed that I was the one to birth and raise him. That wasn't Ash on that podium that day, that was just some… devil who dared called himself an angel!" With a start Delia realized she was standing, her hands placed on the metal table between the women and her eyes glaring threateningly at the police officer.

Jenny spoke back calmly, years of training as a Police Officer had hardened her resolve, an angry mother bear was a common occurrence for her. "Mrs. Ketchum the man on the podium that day was definitely your son; he had Ash's PokéDex with him, he had the same height and weight as your son and the same Pokémon as your son. While I perfectly understand your reluctance to believe that Ash is a mass murderer, I'm afraid the evidence is simply undeniable."

Delia stared incredulously at the Policewoman. "How on earth could you possibly know that that man had the same height and weight as Ash? You'd have to measure and weigh both him and my son to come to that conclusion." Jenny grimaced; she had not meant to say that. She sighed, she needed this woman to work with her and if a few secrets had to be divulged then so be it.

"Mrs. Ketchum, not many people know this, in fact this information is only known by Police Officers, Pokémon Centre staff, the Elite Four, the Regional Champions, the Regional Professors, the G-Men and the League Officials. Each PokéDex handed out to a Trainer has a built-in-body scanner that measures and weighs the Trainer, without their knowledge, each day and stores this information. When the device is handed to a Nurse Joy when a trainer signs up for a tournament or a contest, she transfers the latest measurements to the Centre Database, a network of information that can only be accessed by high-ranking police officers, the G-Men and of course Nurse Joy."

Jenny took a deep breath, trying to ignore Delia's steadily increasing anger.

"Now, every podium in a stadium or a contest has a similar scanner installed in it that is activated whenever someone steps on it. It stores the measurements of whoever happens to be standing on it and then sends the info to the Centre Database where it is linked to a corresponding set of measurements. Once this link is established the information about the Trainer is downloaded into the podium and the podium confirms that the person on the podium is indeed who the Database says it is. The whole process takes but a fraction of a second to complete and once it has and the Trainer is confirmed, a bracelet worn by the referee begins flashing green thus signaling the referee that the right people are in the right place. A message is sent from the podium to the Database as well to inform it of the results."

Delia frowned; the Regional Professors knew of this outrageous breach of privacy? She'd had to have a few stern words with Professor Oak when she got back home. "So this Database has confirmed that that man is my son? Have you seen the results yourself?" Jenny leaned back, wide-eyed and stuttering. "I- you see… well no… I haven't seen the results yet but I am sure that my colleagues would have informed me were they not satisfactory."

Delia bristled in anger at the officer's words. "Satisfactory? Proof that my son is a mass murderer is a source of satisfaction for you people?! You sit there and tell me that my son killed several thousand people and that that fact is irrefutable despite not even knowing what your outrageous breach of privacy Database has to say about it and expect me to cooperate with you by condemning my son?! If everyone had the same thoughts as you then no one would check the damn thing, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case since you seem to be a pretty high-ranking officer and you're fucking incompetent!"

Delia very rarely swore, especially at others, but right now she was absolutely furious. "We're done here; go find some other mother to bother." With that Delia stood up despite the officer's protests and began to make her way around table and towards the door. However before she could open it the door swung open and was replaced by an imposing figure.

"Now now Mrs. Ketchum, there is no need for hostility." The figure smirked at Delia before he turned to the other woman present. "Officer Jenny you are dismissed, please excuse yourself." While he spoke to Jenny, Delia managed to get a good look at the man; he had stupidly bright red hair that matched the inside of his cape and the bands at his wrists and knees. The front of his outfit shared the same colour while his sleeves, trousers, boots and the outside of his cape were a pitch black colour.

His impressive height and strange clothing managed to somehow strike an intimidating cut, but Delia decided instantly that she did not like this man; she was certain his eyes had been roaming up and down her body as he walked into the interrogation room.

Delia was no idiot, she knew she was a very attractive woman, especially for her age; some of Ash's more perverted and obnoxious friends, such as Brock and Gary, had often remarked that she was a MILF when they thought she couldn't hear them. Whatever that meant, she was sure they weren't talking about how good of a cook she was.

Many lonely men in Pallet Town had attempted to woo her before but despite not having seen Ash's father for almost twenty years and being quite unsure of his whereabouts; she was still madly and hopelessly in love with the man and therefore never returned any affections shown towards her. She wasn't sure if she could ever care about another man as she did for her husband but she certainly hadn't found one yet. Besides, this man seemed far too full of himself for her tastes and she found him quite uninteresting already.

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "I know who you are sir, but this a police investigation, I don't think you have the jurisdiction to take over it yourself." The man smirked and glanced quickly at Delia, or rather, two quite large assets of Delia's that he really had no business looking at. He quickly looked away before the owner of said assets could catch him peeking; though unknown to him he was too late.

The man turned so that his back was facing the two women and cleared his throat; it was clear that this particularly fine specimen of a woman had no clue who he was, he sought to remedy that as soon as possible. "I am Lance Wilson, Champion of the Wataru Dragon Clan, strongest of the Kanto Elite Four, Regional Champion of Johto, Official Investigator of the Pokémon G-Men and the most powerful Dragon Tamer alive, but you may simply call me Lance. I must say I am honored to be in the presence of such a clearly magnificent woman like yourself Delia, if I may call you such."

He turned back to witness the reaction of the women, but was mightily disappointed when he saw that Jenny still had an incredulous look on her face and that Delia was yawning with her eyes such tight and her hand over her mouth. She then began to speak. "Well Lance, you may not call me as such, now could you please explain the purpose of your being here so that I can go home and watch the latest episode of Bruno's Shortcut to Six-Packs that I recorded earlier today."

That was a joke of course, but Lance didn't know that. She just said it because she knew that Bruno and Lance were seen as the most eligible bachelors of Kanto and that Lance had publicly displayed his dislike of Bruno before; probably because he jealous of the mountain of a man. Jenny barked a laugh, though she was blushing quite heavily for some reason, and threw a thumbs-up in Delia's direction, who, despite her anger at the policewoman before, smirked back.

Lance's expression fell but he it seemed that he wouldn't go down without a fight, his smirk returned and with a hint of anger in his eyes he said "Well Mrs. Ketchum, you seem remarkably lively for a woman whose only son has recently committed mass-murder, perhaps you are not surprised? Perhaps you aided your son?" Both Delia and Jenny stood in shock as Lance chuckled at his rather rude accusation.

#########

Jenny glanced at Delia with sympathy; that was a remarkably unprofessional jibe at her and was totally uncalled for. Jenny too had seen Lance's not so subtle leers at Delia's voluptuous body, an act which she found as disgusting as she did offensive; what was she… a wooden plank? She glanced down and sighed; she might as well be, police training wasn't exactly devised to increase the allure of a woman. Not that she was at all interested in Lance; the man quite obviously had his stupidly bright red head wedged firmly 'twixt his buttocks and besides, what he had just said was a horrible thing to say to an obviously faithful and diligent mother such as Delia Ketchum.

The door opened again but this time another woman strode in, Jenny jumped in shock as she realized who the new arrival was; the woman was wearing polished black high-heels that were barely visible under the formal black trouser wear and long black coat that she wore about her skintight black top, only one stony grey eye was visible and her luscious blond hair that fell all the way down to her knees covered the other eye. In her hair she wore strange black clips that somewhat resembled the ears of a lucario.

The woman glanced sympathetically at Delia; she had obviously heard what Lance had said, and nodded her head at Jenny, who returned the nod with a stunned expression.

She then turned towards Lance, who was quite flustered as he was now in the presence of two very gorgeous women. He quickly glanced at Jenny and gave her the same treatment that he gave Delia upon entering. Make that three. The new woman glared at Lance with such ferocity that he began to worry for his safety.

He spoke. "Cynthia, I-", "Lance, just shut up, you have just jeopardized the investigation with your ignorance and obnoxiousness and quite frankly, I'm not surprised. When I get the chance I will request a meeting with the rest of the Council to discuss your permanent removal from the Council and thus the G-Men. I suspect that the odds shall not be in your favour. Now get lost." She turned to the two women. "Officer, could you please escort Lance out of the station? Bruno will be waiting for him; he will take Lance back to the Plateau. I'm sure Lance would greatly appreciate Bruno's assistance."

Jenny barely contained the smirk that threatened to break out on her face as saluted the Sinnoh Champion. "Yes Ma'am, at once Ma'am." Cynthia grimaced, though her face somehow remained flawless and serene. "Please Officer, call me Cynthia, I'm not your boss and neither is Lance, so don't go easy on him if he causes any trouble. Oh and please come back when you're done, I wouldn't want to displace the officer in charge of this investigation now would I?"

#########

Cynthia turned to Delia as Jenny, now openly smirking, began to drag the spluttering Lance out of the room. Cynthia briefly wondered why Jenny seemed really excited about her new task but decided it was probably just the chance to humiliate an arrogant idiot. She sighed, first impressions were everything and now Delia's first encounter with the G-Men had been less than pleasant. The blonde woman was going to need to pull out all of the stops to get this woman to trust her.

"Mrs. Ketchum, I am terribly sorry for Lance's attitude, he's always been a bit headstrong." Delia's frown slipped slightly before she nodded her head, accepting the apology. Cynthia smiled mentally, "I must apologise again as I really need to speak to you about your son. Do you mind?" Delia's frown returned and she sighed. "Actually yes I do mind, but you seem a lot more professional than your colleague, so I will help you." Cynthia smiled warmly while cheering mentally, it had worked! "Thank you Mrs. Ketchum, your cooperation means a lot to us. Please, have a seat."

Delia did so while Cynthia took the seat previously occupied by Jenny opposite of Delia. "I understand that you believe the man on the podium and your son is not the same person, this is correct?" Delia ignored the question and asked her own, much to Cynthia's chagrin. "You have access to the Centre Database right? Could you show me the results of the podium that day? Officer Jenny hasn't checked them yet and I get the feeling that you haven't either."

Cynthia stared in astonishment before glancing at the door and sighing, she began muttering. "There's a reason that the Database isn't public knowledge." She glanced up towards Delia. "I do have access but I won't let you access it. I will check and inform you of the results later today. There's simply too much private information on that Database to show to someone who is not a Nurse Joy, an Officer Jenny or a G-Men Agent."

Delia sighed but grudgingly nodded her head. Cynthia smiled and began to talk.

"Now, did your son make many friends on his journey? Was he a well-liked individual or did he keep to himself?" Delia laughed, her mood suddenly reversing, "Ash?! Many friends?! Did you not meet the man? Who doesn't like my son?" Cynthia smiled; Delia was laughing! Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard… The G-Men Officer continued with her questions.

"Who were Ash's closest friends? Where are they now? I would like to ask them a few things about Ash." Delia's smile faltered. "Ash's closest friend, in fact more of a brother, is dead. Brock Harrison, may he rest in peace, can't help you I'm afraid. The same goes for Dawn Berlitz, a sweet girl from Twinleaf in your home region. They were present at the stadium that day, cheering on who they thought was their close friend." Cynthia watched Delia close her eyes and mutter a quick prayer to Arceus; so the diligent mother was religious was she? Delia finished her prayer and as she raised her head again Cynthia quickly ducked her head and pretended she was praying as well. Delia seemed surprised, "You're a Servant?" she asked.

Cynthia nodded while inwardly groaning; Servants were people who religiously worshipped Legendary Pokémon. There was a bit of controversy surrounding the Servants, who believed that a human would one day be chosen by the Legendary Gods to save the world from itself. Most people, like Cynthia, knew that Legendary Pokémon existed, but didn't worship them. Rather they respected their power and left it at that.

She composed herself. "What of Ash's childhood friends? Who did he grow up with in Pallet Town?" Delia's smile slipped and she shook her head sadly, "Pallet Town is what some may call a backwards and superstitious community and many of its residents don't like others prying into their business. We're a cranky lot and unfortunately cranky people don't get along well with people like my son; his natural curiosity and concern for all things living, people and Pokémon alike, rubbed them the wrong way as they saw it as an invasion of their privacy. It was an unwritten rule in Pallet that everybody minded their own business and no trouble would be caused, Ash's stretching of that rule led to many of his own age, and their parents, to distrust him, and of course, Gary Oak didn't help either."

Cynthia frowned; she had met Gary Oak, he was the grandson of the prestigious Professor Oak after all, and while he was a bit flirtatious and obnoxious, he seemed pretty harmless and actually quite a decent guy. She couldn't imagine Gary doing anything to cause Ash to struggle to make friends in their home town.

"Gary? What did he do? He seemed nice enough when I met him." Delia smiled, "Gary is a brilliant and mature young man, I don't approve of his disregard for monogamy but his heart's in the right place. But he wasn't always so nice. When he and Ash were growing up, Gary made Ash's life a living hell. My husband had left before Ash was born and in Pallet Town, _everyone_ had two parents, everyone except for Ash and Gary that is. But while Ash had me Gary had only his grandfather. Of course no one was going to make fun of the Professor's grandson, but Ash… Ash was a different story."

Delia paused as she became lost in the past while Cynthia tried to hide a yawn; she really regretted asking about what Gary did as she couldn't care less about Ash's childhood, but if she wanted this woman to trust her she had to appear genuinely interested in her story. Though one aspect did intrigue her; Ash had had a rough childhood had he? A classic characteristic of a psychopathic killer if ever there were one.

Eventually Delia continued, "No one bullied Gary, but no one befriended him either. He was lonely at school, very lonely, but he soon witnessed what the other kids his age were doing to Ash and he saw an opportunity to finally fit in. So he joined them, and then he led them. They used to say horrible things to my boy, 'a fatherless brat' they'd call him, or 'a waste of space'. Ash once told me that Gary had called him a 'broken condom', though I don't think either of them had known what it meant at the time," Delia chuckled while smiling wistfully.

"Ash would retaliate of course; he was only too glad to bite back at Gary. 'At least I _have _a parent' he'd say, and then the fighting would begin. But the local school's main shareholder was the Professor, they couldn't let his grandson be bullied. So while Ash was meted out a harsh punishment almost every day, Gary got away with a slap on the wrist. Ash didn't understand, what child could understand? He was being punished for being the victim."

Delia paused and stared off into space with a bittersweet smile on her face as she reminisced on her son's childhood. Cynthia was surprised to find herself genuinely smiling; it was obvious that Delia cared deeply for her child, such cherishing devotion was a heartwarming sight to say the least.

Delia seemed to realise that she had been spacing out and shook her head before she continued speaking. "And then puberty reared its ugly head. The boys began noticing girls and vice versa, but while Gary grew taller and stronger and his voice began dropping, Ash remained small and scrawny and his voice remained as high as ever. Girls began to pine after Gary and Ash was left in the dust. Those few girls who Ash managed to catch the attention of were eventually convinced by Gary that they could do better."

Cynthia sat forward, no longer trying to hide yawns; this story was actually pretty interesting! Delia continued, "When Ash turned 12 he eventually built up the courage to ask his crush out. She was a pretty little thing called Leaf, and she seemed to be the only girl who wasn't completely revolted by Ash. But Gary had gotten there first and for the first time my little boy experienced heartbreak. For the next year Ash sheltered himself from everyone, including me, and it broke my heart. I became very worried when he would hardly leave his room except to eat. And then he stopped doing that."

"By the time his 13th birthday came around I was distraught, I learnt that Ash had been skipping school, instead sneaking off into the Professor's Corral and playing with the Pokémon there. But when I caught him, surrounded by the Professor's Pokémon, there was a beautiful smile upon his face that I hadn't seen in far too long. It was then that I knew I had to let him go. He needed his journey more than he needed me at the time and while it broke my heart, I could rest easy knowing my baby boy was finally happy." Delia sniffled, becoming lost in her bittersweet memories of watching her son leaving her for the first time.

Cynthia was shocked to find her own throat aching, with tears dabbing the corner of her eyes. Delia's story had moved her and she could tell for certain now that Delia believed with her every being that Ash was innocent of the occurrence in Sinnoh. Cynthia, wanting Delia to continue, gestured to the auburn haired woman to go on.

Delia continued, "But Gary began maturing when Ash beat him in the Silver Conference; he realized that Ash was a stronger Trainer than him and after failing to get the attention of a certain red-head that accompanied Ash at the time, he also realized that Ash wasn't a loner anymore. My son had met and changed so many people's lives on his journey, including Gary's to a certain extent, that it wasn't right to call him 'a waste of space' anymore. Gary never apologised but he didn't need to, when Ash saw that Gary wanted to put their past behind them, he did so without a second thought. The two quickly became close friends as it wasn't within my son to hold a grudge against a person; he is far too trusting and forgiving sometimes."

Delia glanced up having finished her story and Cynthia smiled encouragingly as she took out a small notepad and pencil from somewhere in her coat and jotted down Gary's name, "That was a touching story Mrs. Ketchum, I will make sure to get in touch with Gary, perhaps I'll give him a rough time in my interview," Delia chuckled at Cynthia's little joke before the blonde continued, "Okay, so aside from Gary, who has known Ash the longest? What about this red-head you mentioned; she sounds close to Ash." Delia smiled softly. "Her name is Misty Waterflower and she might as well be my daughter. Never will you find a girl as sweet and as passionate as her."

Cynthia blinked in surprise. "Misty Waterflower? The Cerulean Gym Leader Misty Waterflower?" After Misty had left Ash to take care of her family's Gym she quickly gained a reputation as one of the toughest Gym Leaders in Kanto, eventually she was _the _toughest Gym Leader in Kanto, stronger even than Sabrina. Cynthia had watched a few of her battles and was very impressed with her immensely strong Pokémon, she reckoned that Misty's Gyarados and Golduck could probably take on one of her own Pokémon, not Garchomp or Spiritomb of course but probably any of the others.

Delia's expression fell. "Yes, but she's not doing too well at the moment; what she felt for Ash was far beyond just friendship. Recent events have been a huge shock to her and she's a bit unstable at the moment. She lost Brock, one of her closest friends, he might as well have been her older brother, and he was certainly more of a sibling to her than her pathetic sisters are, or were at least. She believes she has also lost Ash, which is too much for her to cope with right now."

Cynthia, not noticing that Delia had become very quiet and that her shoulders were shaking, was confused. "What? If Ash is proven innocent then he will be free to do as he pleases, he would be able to return to his ordinary life, what's the problem?" It was Delia's sniffles that finally caught Cynthia's attention. "Mrs. Ketchum? Are you alright?"

At this Delia's head snapped up and Cynthia was shocked at the amount of pain and sadness and even anger she saw in those eyes. "What's the problem?! You're a G-Men agent Cynthia! Surely you would know why Ash can never come back! Even if he were proven innocent how could he possibly live a normal life?! He would be a target, if not for the Government and the League, then by the common folk; Trainers, Coordinators, Rangers, Researchers, Watchers and Connoisseurs would all despise my son and how could they not? A man accused of rape would find it very hard to live an ordinary life even if he were proven innocent. It's the same thing with Ash. Besides, Ash was missing that day which means that that… demon in Sinnoh has my son! What would a man like that do to my son?! Certainly never let him go! My son is probably as good as dead! Dead Cynthia! Dead!"

As Delia broke down weeping Cynthia sat still in shock; she saw now the pain that Delia had been feeling since the attack. She saw the pain of a loving mother whose only child had been declared a mass murderer. She saw the pain of a loving mother who believed her only son was probably dead.

Delia, the pain of the past few days having finally caught up with her, slouched in sadness and sorrow as her weeping died down to a pathetic whimpering. "I wish that I had at least been there with him, that he didn't have to die alone, cold and scared. I wish he was here in my arms as I listened to yet another adventure that he had experienced on one of his journeys."

Delia began to smile sadly, becoming lost in her fantasies. "I wish I could have seen the joy on his face when he watched the love of his life, Misty most probably, walk down the aisle all dressed in white. I wish I could see the excitement in his and Misty's faces when they told me that they were expecting. I wish I could share all the embarrassing stories of his childhood with his own children. I wish I could smile with pride as my grandchildren told me and Ash and Misty all about the snowman they had built that morning as we all sat around the dining room table, eating stuffed turkey on that cold Christmas afternoon. I wish that when my time came, I could go peacefully knowing that I could finally tell my husband, if he had passed already, about how our precious little baby boy had grown up to be a great man, one who had a loving family and many loving friends, who had two loving parents waiting for him up in heaven. Waiting to finally greet him and tell him how proud we were of him and how much we loved him."

Cynthia's throat ached and her eyes watered a bit; forget pretending to care, this was the real deal. Never had she witnessed such powerful love and devotion before, sure she had loving parents and grandparents, but they had their own life too, they had other things to love as well as her. It sounded to her that Delia had devoted her entire life to her son; that her only reason to living was to ensure that her son got all the love and care he could get from her.

Cynthia stood up, walked around the table and rested her hand on Delia's shaking shoulder. Both women remained still, one sitting the other standing, one shaking the other steady, one weeping the other supporting. Delia sniffed and wiped away her tears as she whispered her last wish. "Above all I wish my baby boy was home again."

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Jenny groaned and rubbed her temples as Lance began to, yet again, moan and whine about unfair Cynthia always was to him. Was this man really a Champion? He was pretty pathetic. The only reason she had accepted the task of escorting this bumbling idiot out of the station, besides her respect for the Sinnoh Champion, was because of who was waiting at the pickup destination. Although she had found Mrs. Ketchum's dig about Bruno at the Johto Champion very amusing, inwardly she had been blushing in extreme embarrassment because, unbeknownst to both Lance and Delia, the latter had described Jenny's favourite pastime that she always participated in on her few days off.

Unfortunately, because of where her mind had wandered off to, Jenny had developed a very prominent blush on her face and Lance, who had been prattling on about how the only reason Cynthia acted so untoward to him was because she was secretly harboring some sort of secret crush towards him, mistook Jenny's blush as something very different.

Jenny, who had since returned to her senses, noticed Lance had a god-awful smirk on his face as he leered down at her. "Jealous are we Jen? Don't worry I won't ever give in to her advances; I will always be free for you." Lance winked at her before his gaze once again dropped lower until her face was definitely not the part of her body that Lance was looking at. It appeared chest size was of no concern to Lance; he seemed to accept all sizes.

Jenny felt like retching, Lance truly was a disgusting pig and his opinion of himself was far too bloated. Jenny smirked; she was keen to deflate that ego of his. "Lance if there is any hotshot League Trainer that I am willing to bed, it most certainly isn't you. Quite frankly you are a disgusting person and I really can't see why even the easiest woman on earth would want to sleep with you. So be a good boy and leave me alone so that Mr. Siba can take you home and tuck you into bed with no complaint from me." Lance's smirk faltered briefly before returning tenfold. "Yeah well what would you know, you're just cruddy police woman."

Jenny gasped and was about to retort when a deep and rich voice cut through the air, running through her body and leaving breathless, "Lance leave the poor lady alone, it's obvious that she wants nothing to do with you so just leave her be." Lance jumped slightly as Bruno's deep voice rang out. In his pestering of Jenny he had failed to notice that they had exited the station and were now standing in front of a beaten up old Beetle.

Bruno's voice had a very different effect on Jenny, whose knees trembled slightly and heart pumped furiously. Directly in front of her stood a mountain of a man whose immense muscles bulged under the black formal suit he wore. His face was scarred over years of the brutal training he put himself under, fighting onix and sparring with his own ruthlessly powerful Pokémon. He had thick black eyebrows that accentuated his angular and somewhat rough features. His long and spiky raven hair was tied back in a ponytail that reached down to the middle of his back.

Seeing him not in his usual Karate outfit but rather in formal attire was a blood racing sight for the Police Officer to behold. Years of his workout videos could not have prepared her for how massive this man truly was; he stood at 7 feet and his arms were as thick as those of his machamp's. He made Lance seem a child in comparison, indeed Jenny herself reached only to his chest.

Bruno turned to Jenny and began smiling gently. "Pleased to make your acquaintance ma'am, Bruno Siba at your service, but please just call me Bruno. I hope Lance wasn't too much trouble for you, I'll be glad to take him off your hands either way."

Jenny, as red as her hair was blue, stuttered as she attempted to form a cohesive sentence in front of her crush. "M-Mr. Siba sir, I-I mean B-Bruno… S-sir. T-the pleasure's all mine." It really was; her neighbours had often complained about the noise she made whenever she was with her 'boyfriend', whom they thought was called Bruno having heard his name yelled out many times. They said that they were glad she had a man that could please her so, but to please continue their activities quietly as they had kids that were trying to sleep. They didn't realise that she didn't have a boyfriend, or that the TV was on and showing a certain popular workout video, or that there may have been a distinct vibrating sound in the air.

Jenny composed herself somewhat; she was an officer of the law, not some horny schoolgirl. "Honestly Bruno, Lance is a pain in the arse and I would love it if you could take him away." And me as well, she thought giddily. Bruno barked a laugh and his smile widened. "I like you, you're not afraid to say what you want and I agree, Lance is a pain in the arse!"

Lance spluttered in outrage as Jenny flushed a bright pink; her mind going into overdrive at the prospect of Bruno liking her. Jenny decided to risk it and ask her crush out; when was she going to get another chance? "B-bruno, I-I was w-wondering i-if you'd like to go out for some coffee sometime?" Jenny looked down at her feet, awaiting Bruno's reaction. When Bruno made no noise and Lance began snickering, she began to lose what little confidence she had scraped together.

Without glancing up she turned on her feet, "Sorry Mr. Siba sir, I don't want to waste anymore of your time," she said with traces of tears in her eyes as she rapidly walked away. Bruno smacked Lance on the back the head, the force of the somewhat relaxed blow sending Lance to the floor, before striding after Jenny. He grabbed her hand and spun her around. "Wait! Jenny!"

Jenny reeled back in shock, a warm feeling rising up in her stomach at hearing Bruno use her name. "I would love to go out with you, however I can't promise I would be a good boyfriend; I am one of the Elite Four after all, I have a very busy schedule" Jenny smiled brightly. "You'd be a great boyfriend! I can't believe you accepted! Here's my number, I'll be sure to call you soon."

Bruno took the piece of paper with a large smile on his face; this particular Jenny was very pretty after all, not that that was at all his sole reason for accepting her invitation, she seemed to be a very spirited and strong individual and Bruno admired strength of the soul above all in people. "I'm afraid we must part ways now Jenny, someone's got to look after that bumbling idiot. But I am looking forward to our next meeting, until then."

Before Bruno could depart Jenny grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards her and into a hug, surprising him with her strength. Bruno began to blush heavily as Jenny pressed her body tightly against Bruno's before grabbing his head and pulling it down to apply a chaste kiss upon his cheek. She let go, giving Bruno a coquettish smile and wink before turning around and rushing back into the station. Bruno flushed red, even when hurrying the police woman had managed to maintain that seductive sway of her hips, how do woman do that?

As Jenny reentered the station she squealed with joy, causing several people in the station to look at her strangely. She didn't care; she had the feeling that the neighbour's kids wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

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Lance was rubbing the back of his sore head and glaring at Bruno as the mountain of a man approached, returning the glare tenfold. "What is the matter you Lance? Being a pervert isn't enough for you is it? You have to be a rude idiot as well. Jenny is a perfectly respectful woman and should be treated like one, so stop harassing her and at least try to act professional, although you clearly are not. Now come, let's get back to the Plateau, we have much to discuss."

Lance, bristling in anger, took one look at Bruno's beaten up old Beetle and snickered. "I wouldn't be seen dead in that hunk of metal Bruno, Dragonite can take me there, and if you think you and Cynthia will succeed in getting me fired, you've got another thing coming." With that Lance grabbed a PokéBall from his belt and pressed the centre button to expand it before pressing it again to let the ball open and a large shapeless white light spring out of the contraption.

The white light formed a bipedal figure before fading so that the figure could be seen in its entirety. The creature was of a dull orange colour that covered most of his body and the outside of his wings. With three viciously sharp claws one each paw and foot, it had hard horizontal plated scales reaching from its neck all the way down its body, covering its chest and stomach, going in between his legs and coating the underside of his tail. Atop his head were a somewhat small horn in the center and two magnificent, sleek and streamlined curly horns situated above its eyes. Its massive wings, large enough to completely wrap around its body and then some, had dark green webbing coating the inside.

The dragonite roared powerfully and flexed its wings as Lance clambered up its body and settled on its shoulders just in front of its wings. He sneered at Bruno one last time before digging his heels in and yelling at Dragonite to fly. The dragonite spread its wings and lunged up into the air so suddenly that the force of its takeoff caused Bruno to take a step forward to balance himself. An ordinary man would have been floored.

Bruno shook his head and turned to his tiny car. He opened the door then attempted to slide into his seat, once settled in his knees were pressed up against the steering wheel and his head was forced down by the ceiling of the car. He turned on the engine, then pressed and held down the clutch and put the car into first before accelerating while slowly releasing the clutch; it was far too easy to stall this old car and he didn't want to look like an idiot in front of the station that his new girlfriend worked at.

As his car began chugging away down the road, he briefly saw what appeared to be a bright orange blur heading straight for Lance's shape in the sky. He shrugged, as much as he hated to admit it, Lance _was_ an incredibly powerful Trainer; he could handle anything thrown at him, besides an insult. What was the worst that could happen?

Lance's lifeless body smashed onto the front of his car causing it to come to a screeching halt and the windshield to crack. Bruno barely had time to react before Dragonite's body slammed down onto Lance causing the sickening sound of bones crunching and the horrible sight of blood spraying out from under the beast.

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><p><strong>Okay, so the changes in this chapter are as such:<strong>

**-The scene where the trainer and his Pikachu are crying in the locker room has been moved to the beginning, and a bit of extra detail of what happened to them is included.**

**-Cynthia is no longer even mentioned to have found Ash attractive, they're relationship in the past has been completely platonic and will remain so, or will it?**

**-A very important aspect has been added, there are people called Servants, who worship Legendary Pokémon as gods and prophesize that a human will one day be chosen to save the world, etc. etc. Delia is a Servant, so Cynthia pretended she was as well to seem more trustworthy to Delia.**

**-Ash's childhood has been more fleshed out, more detail on why Gary bullied him and how Ash had no friends in Pallet, mainly because Gary had no parents and he was jealous of Ash of having at least one.**

**-Cynthia has become less friendly and more conniving; I wanted to depict her as a woman who gets shit done no matter the consequence.**

**-Lance's jerkiness has been dialed down a bit, to make it more realistic.**

**And I think that's it.**

**If you are confused about something, or you want to ask me something, please feel free to PM me and I will try my best to reply without giving away spoilers unless you want them.**

**-SwallowtheSun**


	2. Chapter 2: Ray Of Hope

**Hello again,**

**If you've already read this chapter and are wondering what has changed in my rewrite of this, please refer to the author's note at the end.**

**Just a note; in this chapter I have referred to Brock and Iris as black people. I am aware that in various countries this term isn't considered politically correct, but here in South Africa it is considered so and is most certainly _not_ a racist term.**

**You may notice that some Pokémon may be referred to without a capital letter, this is because I believe that when talking about Pokémon in general, one would refer to them as we refer to animals. You wouldn't write, "That is a Giraffe" but rather "That is a giraffe". However when referring directly to a specific Pokémon I will use capital letters. e.g. "What's wrong with Pikachu?"**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Ray of Hope<strong>

**_Viridian City Police Station; 01/04/2013_**

Jenny's jovial mood had somewhat lessened as she walked back to the interrogation room; after all the inquisition of a woman whose only son had allegedly killed thousands of people was nothing to be joyful about. She paused outside the door to straighten her hair and clothes; she didn't want to appear unprofessional to the Champion of Sinnoh.

When she entered the room she was greeted by a depressing sight. Delia had her head in her hands and was obviously crying, while Cynthia had a sorrowful expression on her face as she gently rubbed Delia's back soothingly.

Noticing the new arrival the two women composed themselves; Cynthia bent down and whispered into Mrs. Ketchum's ear. "I promise you Delia, I promise you I'll find the one who did this to your son, but meanwhile you mustn't lose hope; Ash could still be out there somewhere, waiting for someone to find him and take him home." Delia sniffled, rubbed her nose and sent Cynthia a weak but grateful smile. Cynthia leaned back, showing a satisfied smirk for some reason.

Jenny decided not to watch, it was obviously a personal matter between the two women and she didn't want to intrude. She couldn't help but overhear Cynthia's promise though. She raised an eyebrow curiously; if the promise was genuine then Delia and her son had one of the most powerful allies they could possibly have.

Cynthia Lawson was absolutely legendary when it came to Pokémon battling; it was rumoured that once Alder and Drake from Hoenn had teamed up and faced her in double battle as a bet, and apparently only three of Cynthia's Pokémon fainted. Most people generally regarded that rumour as fact after Cynthia's famous battle with Lance a few years ago. Lance had put up a good fight; he was the world's greatest Dragon Tamer after all, but then Cynthia released her Garchomp. The beast had defeated Lance's strongest dragonite and the only damage it had received was a graze by a Hyper Beam. Ever since that spectacular battle Cynthia was unofficially labeled as the most powerful Pokémon Trainer currently living, aside from Kanto Champion and Pokémon Master, Red, of course, but he hadn't been seen in almost twenty years.

Most of today's Trainers had never seen Red battle and therefore believed all the stories about him to be largely exaggerated. But Jenny was one of the few who had seen him battle; she had been ten at the time. She had been present at what was now often referred to as 'The Great Slaughter'; an epic free-for-all battle between all of the Regional Champions that was staged in order to determine which of them would get to face the Pokémon Master and earn the title.

Each of the Champions had sent out their strongest Pokémon; Agatha, who was Johto's Champion at the time, had sent out her Gengar, Hoenn's Drake had sent out his Salamence, Sinnoh's Bertha had sent out her Rhyperior and Unova's Alder had sent out his legendary Volcarona. But it was when Red released his Pokémon that the slaughter started.

The first shock had been how large and different Red's charizard was compared to others; its wings were more angular, serrated and streamlined and the blue webbing appeared tattered. The two horns upon its head were still present but they were brutally sharp and a third larger horn was situated between the original two. It appeared to have two smaller wings upon its forearms, no doubt to increase its already incredible speed. And lastly its tail had a sharp protrusion at the base and number of spikes leading up to the burning end of the tail.

The second shock was what followed. Jenny could only describe the battle as a massacre of the other Champions' Pokémon. By match's end Charizard had been the only one remaining standing, barely, but still standing. The other Champion's Pokémon had lain defeated around him.

The third shock happened a week later. It had been assumed after that match that Charizard was Red's strongest Pokémon but when Red faced the Pokémon Master a week later, the real truth came out. The title of Red's strongest Pokémon, and hence the strongest non-legendary Pokémon, lay with the creature that was ever-present on Red's shoulder. A pikachu that no one had ever seen in battle until that fateful day, when it killed one of the Master's Pokémon.

Red was almost imprisoned, his Pokémon stripped away from him, until the Master intervened, maintaining that it was his own fault that his Pokémon died. He said that in his blind refusal to lose his title he had not noticed that his Pokémon was grievously wounded. Red had been about to forfeit the match for fear that Pikachu would kill the Master's ace, but then the Master had ordered his Pokémon to use Explosion.

The Master's Pokémon, too tired to conjure up the standard aura shield that usually wrapped the Pokémon in a protective shell that would prevent it from literally exploding, literally exploded... It was said that after the cloud of dust and blood mist had cleared, there wasn't much left aside from a rocky heart and a fleshy eye. Perhaps the most disturbing part of it all was that the Champion's ace was a Golem, a semi-ground type and immune to electricity.

So despite the fact that so many modern Trainers claimed that today's Champions like Cynthia and Lance could thrash the mysterious and elusive Kanto Champion and Pokémon Master, Jenny knew the real truth; that Pokémon Master Red was by far the most powerful Pokémon Trainer that had ever lived. She knew that neither Cynthia nor Lance would stand a chance against the Champion of Kanto. How his Pokémon had gotten so powerful was one of the biggest mysteries of the modern world, rivaled in speculation only by his disappearance.

Jenny realized with a start that Cynthia was asking her a question. She blushed in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry Cynthia, could you repeat that?" Cynthia smiled gently at her, easing her nerves. "I was just asking if you could fetch Mrs. Ketchum and I some tissues; we can't have a civil conversation with runny noses now can we?" Jenny grinned as she pulled out some tissues from her breast pocket; as Chief Investigator she often had to deal with very emotional people, be it a witness, suspect or a tearful young Trainer who couldn't find their Pokémon, so she always had a few spare tissues on her person.

She handed the tissues to the two women who then proceeded to wipe their eyes and blow their noses. Cynthia once again turned to Jenny. "To bring you up to speed, Mrs. Ketchum and I were discussing her son's childhood and listing any close friends of his who could help us with any information about the man at all. So far only Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City and Gary Oak of Pallet Town were mentioned."

Cynthia turned back to Delia. "Ash travelled Johto, Hoenn and Unova did he not? Who travelled with him during those journeys?" Delia, now composed, decided to help Cynthia as much as she could. The Champion's passion for her plight had warmed her heart and she believed that she could trust the friendly blonde.

"After Kanto Misty continued traveling with Ash during his trip around the Orange Archipelago, Brock had temporarily left but the two met a Pokémon Watcher by the name Tracey Sketchit during their trip. Ash and Tracey became very close during their trip together and he could certainly help with any questions you may have. Currently he resides in Professor Oak's Lab in Pallet with Gary, but if he's not there you might find him at Misty's house in Cerulean."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "The two are dating then? " Delia chuckled. "No no not at all, I believe Misty's heart has been stolen by another…" Delia's smile turned upside down, "but now she won't ever be able to tell him how she feels…" Cynthia frowned as she realised that Delia was referring to Ash; if Misty was moping over a broken heart _and _her missing friends she probably wouldn't much help to the investigation.

Delia sighed and decided to focus on helping Cynthia before she began crying again. "No, Tracey wasn't dating Misty but rather her eldest sister Daisy. Daisy hardly knows Ash so she wouldn't be able to help you. As for Ash's other journeys, Brock returned after the Orange Archipelago trip and Tracey decided to stay in Pallet and study with Professor Oak. Ash travelled around Johto with both Brock and Misty, but after the Silver Conference both Misty and Brock were forced to return to their homes in Cerulean City and Pewter City respectively. Their leaving hurt Ash deeply but I think Misty was hurt the most; by that stage her little 'crush' on Ash had begun to develop into something a little more permanent."

Cynthia chuckled before asking curiously. "You seem to know a lot about Misty and Ash's relationship during their journey, how come?" Delia smiled widely at this. "I could tell from the moment Misty walked through my front door that she liked my son, hell everybody could see it except for my son, perhaps he was too blinded by his own affections for the red headed girl." Delia sighed; it seemed that Ash inherited his obliviousness towards romance from his father. Delia smiled wistfully as she recalled the trouble she went through trying to get Ash's father's attention.

Cynthia, while finding Delia's reflecting heartwarming, interrupted the woman's daydreams as she asked her next question, "So Ash traveled around Hoenn alone then?" Delia once again sighed. "No, in fact on his first day he made a new travelling companion; a beautiful young girl named May Maple, you may have heard of her; I hear she's quite a successful Pokémon Coordinator now." Cynthia nodded; she had.

Delia continued, "Ash and May made their way back to May's hometown, Petalburg City, where I believe she is currently residing. Ash met with May's parents and little brother, and he learnt that May's dad, Norman, was the Gym Leader of the city, he still is I think. Ash set off with both May and her brother, Max, and was shortly reunited with Brock. Together the four journeyed around Hoenn before returning back to Kanto to take part in the Battle Frontier."

"As you already know Ash travelled around Sinnoh with Brock and Dawn but at the end of that journey Brock left permanently. Ash traveled to Unova alone but once again not for long; he met a black woman around his own age by the name of Iris and shortly afterwards was joined by one of Striaton City's Gym Leaders, Cilan. He traveled Unova with those two before coming home and taking a year break, he then decided to re-travel Sinnoh as he felt that was where he was strongest, _I _ think he was mostly missing Dawn's perkiness after Iris' constant nagging."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow as a thought occurred to her, "Wait, so Misty traveled with Ash through Kanto, Johto and the Orange Archipelago?" Delia nodded, confused as to why she was being asked again. "Then he traveled through Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova with May, Dawn and Iris respectively?" Delia again nodded with a growing grin on her face; she thought she knew where this was heading now.

"Mrs. Ketchum perhaps your son isn't the same boy he was in Pallet Town, he seems to have more female friends than male." Delia's grin was now spreading across her face. "I thought so too at first, and all these pretty young women may have been interested in my son at some point on their journeys, though I don't know for sure. I know that Ash was interested though; he'd have to be made of stone not to be attracted to these women after spending so much time with them. But only one girl managed to truly snag my son's attention, a certain fiery red head from Cerulean. He may have been crushing hard on Iris at one point though."

Delia paused, and Cynthia took the opportunity ask a question, "This Iris, is she a Dragon Trainer? Big purple hair? Quite hot-tempered?" Delia glanced curiously at Cynthia, "Yes, how did you know?" Cynthia smiled, "Well it turns out that Iris is Alder's newest protégé, and Alder himself has told me that he plans to train Iris to be the next Champion of Unova."

Delia beamed, "Really? That's great news, I hope everything goes well for her." Cynthia nodded and turned to the silent Jenny. "Officer Jenny, could you please contact Cerulean City, Petalburg City and Striaton City Stations and ask them to bring in Misty, May, Max and Cilan? Oh, and if Tracey is in Cerulean tell them to bring him in as well. I'll call Alder myself and ask for Iris."

Jenny nodded and stood up and then left the room to do ask Cynthia had asked. Cynthia turned back to Delia, "Well Mrs. Ketchum thank you very much for being so patient with us and answering my questions, however I must ask one thing more of you. Can you please come in the same time tomorrow? Hopefully all of Ash's friends will be here and I would like you to be present when we begin interrogating them."

Delia sighed but nodded, "Alright Cynthia, I'll come in, but only if you're the one asking questions, I don't want anything more to do with Lance." Cynthia barked a laugh before her phone started to ring; she fished it out of her coat and saw the caller ID… Bruno? Rarely did other G-Men members call her directly on her cellphone. She accepted the call and brought the phone up to her ear. "Bruno, what's wrong?"

Delia became alert when Cynthia gasped and her face was drained of all colour. Cynthia's next words confirmed to Delia that something terrible had just happened. "Are you alright Bruno? Were you injured?"… "An orange blur? Could it be a Pokémon? You think it was a charizard?"… "Its wings had been torn off?! What on earth could tear off a dragonite's wings?!" That last sentence really alarmed Delia, what the hell was wrong?

Cynthia's face remained stony as she continued to listen to Bruno's rushed voice. "Have you contacted the League yet?"… "They're on their way?"… "…Do you think it was the Colossus?"…"Okay Bruno, tell the Council that I will be staying in Viridian for the time being."…"I'll be fine Bruno, I get the feeling Lance was a warning, not the beginning of an eradication of Champions."…"Okay bye."

Cynthia hung up and stood up quickly. "Mrs. Ketchum I think I will escort you back to Pallet Town, I need to speak with Professor Oak as soon as possible." Delia, very worried now, asked "Wait Cynthia what's wrong? What's happened? And what's the Colossus?" Cynthia sighed. "Lance has been murdered and Bruno reckons it was a charizard. It killed both Lance and Dragonite in a matter of minutes. Bruno thinks it was the Colossus, which is the G-Men codename for As- …I mean the man on the podium."

Delia went pale; she had been speaking with Lance not 15 minutes ago! He was the Johto Champion for Arceus' sake! What charizard could possibly defeat Lance's strongest Pokémon so quickly?! Unless… Delia felt nauseous as the gravity of what she was thinking hit her, it wasn't possible! But… if Cynthia thought it was… Yes! Delia purposely groaned and rubbed her face, as though she was going to be sick.

Cynthia sighed; judging by Delia's sickly face she had reached the same conclusion that Bruno had: that only one person had a charizard that strong... Master Red… Cynthia resumed talking "That's why I need to see Professor Oak, it is my understanding that Red is from Pallet Town right?" Delia nodded warily. "Well then Professor Oak must be the one that keeps his Pokémon and changes them when the need arises." Delia sighed and shook her head slowly. Cynthia, confused by Delia's solemn reaction, voiced her confusion, "What's wrong Delia?"

Delia replied sadly, "Not many people know this but Red has only six Pokémon, so he never has to trade any Pokémon out, Professor Oak doesn't keep any of his Pokémon at his lab." Cynthia sighed in frustration "Nevertheless, Professor Oak must have some useful information on him so I'll go with you anyway" Delia nodded and stood up to leave with Cynthia following closely behind.

The two headed out of the station and got into Delia's little hatchback before heading off for the hour drive to Pallet Town.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Same location; same day; three hours later_**

Bruno had known he was in trouble as soon as he saw the quietly furious faces of the G-Men Council, all present except for Lance and Cynthia of course, during their video conference call. He had never gotten along too well with them as they felt his interests clashed with those of the G-Men. The G-Men believed in preventing crime syndicates and thwarting rising warlords and terrorists at any cost, but Bruno believed that nothing was worth the cost of even one innocent life. The G-Men thought Bruno too noble and unwilling to do the dirty work that was often required of a G-Man and as such, had never trusted him. Bruno had always thought that the Council would jump at the earliest opportunity to take him down, and he had not been wrong.

The Council had expelled him. They had managed to get the League to revoke his Elite Four status and then they informed him that he was no longer welcome at the Plateau, effectively kicking him out of his home. And then they had him arrested under suspicion of conspiring with Ash Ketchum to kill the Champion of Johto.

Which is how Jenny found him back at the Viridian Station, in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit far too small for him, he could probably tear his clothes off just by flexing, not that she would have minded. Fortunately for both her and Bruno, she hadn't yet informed her superiors of her new relationship with their newest yet-to-be-convicted criminal and because she had such an excellent reputation as Chief Investigator, and she was the nearest available, she was personally selected by Cynthia to question him on his affiliation with Ash.

She knew the supposed affiliation wasn't true of course; it was just another example of today's flawed system. It was relatively common knowledge that the G-Men Council disliked Bruno and so Jenny drew her own, and quite accurate, assumptions of why her new boyfriend was sitting handcuffed in front of her. Luckily, as the G-Men was such a powerful leading political and economic association, any Police Officer chosen by a Council Member to conduct a private investigation effectively had the power of the judge and jury, so after a few questions she had the power to acquit Bruno of his charges immediately.

Jenny sighed nervously; she still had to question Bruno of course, her job was on the line. "M-Mr. Siba sir, I-I don't really w-want to do this, b-but I kind of have to…" Bruno smiled that rare and yet so charming smile at her and she practically melted in her seat. "No worries ma'am, I understand, let's just get this out of the way shall we?" Jenny nodded, composed herself, and switched on the camera and video recorder.

"Mr. Siba, you left this station at roughly 2'O'clock this afternoon with instructions to escort Lance Wilson back to the Plateau, correct?" Bruno nodded, "Who instructed you to do so?" Bruno leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, his cuffed hands spread out on the surface, "Cynthia Lawson, the Champion of Sinnoh and Sinnoh representative of the G-Men Council."

Jenny continued, "Do you have any reason to believe that Ms. Lawson knew that Mr. Wilson would be targeted by Ash Ketchum?" Bruno shook his head "No." Jenny grimaced slightly at her next question, "So you conspired alone with Ash Ketchum?"

Bruno leaned forward again, "No, I did not conspire with Ash Ketchum and I had no intention of murdering Mr. Wilson." Jenny put down her list of questions before leaning back, "Mr. Siba I would like you to describe exactly what happened after Mr. Wilson was escorted to you."

Bruno smiled slyly, "Well first I managed to get the number of a beautiful woman and I was hoping to take her out for a lovely date this evening." Jenny blushed heavily at what Bruno was implying, but gestured for Bruno to continue.

"I told Mr. Wilson to get into my car and he told me that he would ride his dragonite back to the Plateau. I saw no harm in letting him do so, so I let him go. I entered my car and had just started the long drive back to the Plateau when I saw a massive orange blur head straight for Mr. Wilson's position. I was confident that Mr. Wilson would be able to handle whatever it was if it posed a threat to him. A couple of minutes later Mr. Wilson's body slammed onto the hood of my car followed by his dragonite, I am unsure whether he was alive before the impact, but he definitely wasn't after it. His dragonite had had its wings removed making me wonder what charizard, which I could see it was now after watching it fly away, could possibly have done this. Dragonite actually survived the ordeal and is currently resting in Viridian PokéCentre with many grievous wounds."

Jenny sat in shock and concern; she hadn't realized how close her new boyfriend had been to whole incident. She composed herself before gesturing to a folder placed upon the table between them. "Nurse Joy's report on Dragonite states that what remains of Dragonite's wings aren't cleanly severed stumps but rather stretched and frayed tendons protruding out of his back. She says that whatever Pokémon did this to Dragonite hadn't used a Slash or a similar slicing attack to sever the wings, but instead used brute force to rip the wings out of his back. There are two large bruises situated between where his wings were that are shaped as a charizard's footprints, Joy believes that a charizard had placed its feet there and then grabbed Dragonite's wings with its claws before pushing with its feet and pulling with its hands, thus pulling the wings out of Dragonite's back. Unfortunately the regenerative tissue was also pulled out… Dragonite's wings will not grow back and he will never be able to fly again."

Bruno's expression fell, to see such a powerful Pokémon so restricted was a tragic sight indeed, but what was most frightening is the ease that this charizard had pulled this off with. In all his life he had only seen one charizard that could possibly have the power to do this, the one responsible for 'The Great Slaughter' twenty five years ago. He had informed Cynthia of his suspicions which was why she was on her way to Professor Oak's lab with Ketchum's mother.

Jenny then resumed with her questions, "Exactly where were you when the incident happened?" Bruno answered, "I was driving past the Viridian Gym." Jenny raised an eyebrow, "Viridian Gym? Hmm… Very interesting…"

#########

Bruno was confused, "…What?" he said smartly, but instead of answering Jenny just smiled sweetly at him, "Bruno Siba it is my professional opinion that you did not conspire with Ash Ketchum to assassinate Lance Wilson and therefore you are free to go." She stood up and turned off the camera before gathering all her files and asking Bruno to follow her.

"Mr. Siba may I ask you to accompany me to the Viridian Gym?" They were still in the station so she had to keep up appearances to avoid a superior or a colleague discovering her affiliation with Bruno. Bruno grinned cheekily, "With pleasure Officer Jenny." Jenny blushed but quickly fought it down, she had a job to do and she was damn good at it, she couldn't let herself be distracted by Bruno.

"Why are we going to the Gym?" Bruno asked. Jenny told Bruno what was on her mind. "Well after I called all of Ash's surviving friends Cynthia told me of your suspicions that Dragonite's charizard must have been Red's Charizard. Not many people know this but the Viridian Gym Leader used to be Red's rival when they were younger. In fact Blue, the Viridian Gym Leader, had been Kanto's Champion for a couple of days before Red came along and took the title from him. They had always disliked each other but that whole event caused them to despise each other. Nobody really knows why they hated each other so much in the first place though some say that there was a girl involved."

"Anyway since Lance was killed right outside Blue's gym by what we assume to be Red's Charizard, I'm thinking that maybe this isn't a message to the G-Men but rather a message to Blue, some kind of warning or threat." Bruno was impressed; his girlfriend was very good at her job it seemed, he of course had known about Blue's temporary reign as Kanto's Champion and his usurping by Red, Bruno himself had been a candidate for a new Elite Four at the time, hoping to replace Professor Blaine. But he hadn't expected Jenny to know so much about it.

As they left the station and made their way to the Gym Bruno was about to ask Jenny another question when he noticed she was on her phone. Judging by Jenny's expression it wasn't a particularly pleasant conversation.

#########

Jenny hung up and sighed. "That was Joy, Dragonite's in a stable condition but he hasn't awoken yet… I'm not really looking forward to when he does…" Bruno nodded solemnly. Jenny turned to Bruno, "You must have experience with all of this, what's to become of Dragonite?" Jenny asked with trepidation. Bruno sighed, "When he regains consciousness Nurse Joy will ask if he would like to be put down by lethal injection or to go and live out the rest of his days on Mt. Silver. Unfortunately he won't survive for long on that mountain but a Pokémon as strong as him cannot be let into ordinary habitats. Pokémon are still wild creatures and Dragonite is an apex predator, he would cause massive imbalance in any other habitat."

Jenny sighed, "And Lance's other Pokémon?" she asked, "Set free, a few of them will probably approach another Elite and ask to be theirs, the ones that don't usually end up on Mt. Silver anyway, hence why the wild Pokémon there are so strong. Mt Silver is essentially an Elite Graveyard; all the Pokémon that live there are ex-Elite Pokémon" Bruno replied, "Years of living in the wild have turned them feral again, but with as much power as they have Mt. Silver had become one of, if not _the _most dangerous place on Earth. Not to mention the lack of oxygen from being so high, or the blizzards, or the avalanches, or the glaciers and crevasses."

Jenny shivered, many courageous and adventurous travelers had attempted to summit the tallest mountain in the world before, it was the ultimate challenge after all. But the furthest anyone had ever gotten was the 8000 metre mark, and that happened to be Pallet Town's very own resident Professor. He had even managed to climb higher than the Ghurkas, a group of specialist warriors trained in the art of close combat with hands and knives and guerilla warfare who resided on the lower slopes of the mountain. Many people believed that, like Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh, the tip of the mountain housed some of the most powerful Legendary Pokémon, especially Servants, who tended to worship the mountain as hallowed ground where no man should ever set foot.

Jenny decided to put that cursed mountain out of her mind and then she remembered something she overheard from Cynthia, she was already beginning to see the perks of having an ex-Elite as a boyfriend as she asked her next question, "Why do the G-Men call the man on the podium 'the Colossus'?"

Bruno glanced at her in surprise before chuckling, "Well the G-Men use a ranking system to rate the strength of a Trainer's Pokémon. The strongest rank is Rank Omega but it is often called the Legendary Rank, that rank is reserved only for Pokémon with the power of a Legendary. The next rank is the Alpha Rank, otherwise known as the Colossal Rank. Lance's Dragonite and Cynthia's Garchomp are considered Beta Rank Pokémon, the rank below Alpha, and there has only ever been one Trainer with Colossally Ranked Pokémon." That Trainer, of course, was Red.

"Anyway, after reviewing the details of the even in Sinnoh the G-Men Council concluded that the Pokémon belonging to the man on the podium must have been Alpha Rank and therefore of Colossal Strength, they hence decided that he be given the codename 'Colossus'."

Jenny allowed Bruno to recover his breath before she tentatively asked her next question, "…Do you think that… the Colossus… was Ash?" Bruno looked at his girlfriend speculatively, "Jenny have you ever met Ash?" She was taken aback by the question, "Well… yeah… back when he was 13 and he had just started his journey, he came into town scorched, bleeding and terrified, cradling a weak Pikachu and desperate to get the little mouse to the Pokémon Centre. I actually helped him." Bruno nodded and asked, "And why did you?" Jenny sighed, "He looked so scared and lost and I could see he was distraught over whatever had happened to his Pikachu. I felt that it was the least I could do."

"And do you think that the boy you met 7 years ago is capable of killing a hundred thousand innocent people?" Bruno asked with a gentle smile on his face, Jenny sighed and shook her head, "No… he wasn't." Bruno smiled widely, "Good, I don't think he could have changed so much since I met him while training at Mt. Hideaway, he was so determined to be the best, but not at the cost of his Pokémon's health or his friend's happiness. If ever there was a child that was raised perfectly, then he is that child, I would very much like to meet his mother."

Jenny was surprised, and slightly jealous; it seemed that Bruno had an incredibly high opinion of both Delia and Ash, but she really hoped that Bruno would never meet former as she could tell that Delia was a formidable woman and from what she had gathered so far, Bruno seemed to be attracted to the formidable type.

"So who do think the Colossus was?" Jenny asked. Bruno's smile fell and he answered with yet another question, "Jenny, have you ever seen Red before?" Jenny nodded, "Yeah I saw him at 'The Great Slaughter' ages ago," she said, confused. "And how did he look?" Bruno asked, "Well he had spiky black hair and he always wore a red cap and he always had his… pikachu by… his side." Jenny trailed off.

Bruno nodded when he saw the look of realisation pass across Jenny's face, "He looked a lot like Ash didn't he." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Jenny nodded numbly; she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. All of a sudden she felt sick and very scared; it was bad enough that they suspected Red killed Lance but the possibility that the Pokémon Master was responsible for the 'Valley of Death' was truly horrifying.

Jenny voiced her fears to Bruno, "How can we stop Red? His Pokémon are almost Legendary strength!" Bruno smiled widely, "Exactly, _almost_ Legendary strength, meaning that there are Pokémon out there that are stronger than them. We just have to convince them to help us." Jenny stared at him incredulously, "So your plan is to recruit Legendary Pokémon? Well that's great, let's just ask the most powerful beings on the planet to help us humans to save our own kind, I'm sure they'll listen to us." She said sarcastically. Bruno, somehow missing the sarcasm, smiled broadly and nodded, "Exactly, we can't fail with them on our side."

Jenny stared at him before shaking her head and muttering to herself. "Great, your boyfriend is a crazy, unemployed idiot who doesn't get sarcasm. Good job Jenny, you really know how to pull in the good ones." She blushed when she felt a massive hand clasp her shoulder gently, she glanced up thinking Bruno had heard her, but then she noticed that they had reached the entrance to the Viridian Gym. She shared a glance with Bruno before they both walked up the stairs to the door. The two armoured guards ignored them as they pushed through and entered a darkened battlefield.

A light flickered on at the opposite end of the battlefield and they saw a tall imposing man sitting atop a towering podium. He wore a very formal business shirt with a red tie underneath a green waistcoat. Over all of this he wore an orange blazer that matched his orange trousers. His dark brown hair was slicked back and he wore an ominous smirk upon his face.

He stepped forward as the podium began to descend to ground level, "Ah, Officer Jenny and Mr. Siba, to what do I owe the pleasure of a Police Officer and an Elite in my Gym?"

Jenny noted that the man had called Bruno an Elite, it seemed that the G-Men hadn't yet let the world know what happened to Lance and why the Master Fighting-type Trainer was expelled, but it mattered not. Jenny stepped forward and began to speak, "Mr. Siba is aiding me in an investigation that has brought us here and we have a few questions regarding the Kanto Champion and Pokémon Master Red, whom we know is an acquaintance of yours Giovanni… or should I say… Blue…"

Blue chuckled as he made his way towards the couple, "It has been a long time since anybody called me by that name Officer, I of course will help you to the best of my ability." It was only when Blue was standing right in front of them that she realized how big he was, he was still tiny compared to Bruno but he was at least six feet tall and he had very broad shoulders. Jenny realized with start that he was very familiar looking, but she couldn't for the life of her remember who Blue reminded her of.

Blue extended his hand to the two and they both shook it politely, he then spoke, "How about we retire to my office before we begin with the questions?" Jenny nodded and spoke, "Lead the way Blue."

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Pallet Town; Professor Oak's Lab; 01/04/2013:_**

Gary Oak was sitting at the kitchen table staring solemnly out the window at all the Pokémon frolicking around in the Corral. Most of them were either his or Ash's, he realized as he watched Bulbasaur fend off a hungry Heracross with his vines. He saw Gible biting Sceptile's head, blinding him while Oshawott used Rapid Spin on his legs, causing him to fall down suddenly. He saw Staraptor sparring with the Shiny Noctowl and Totodile dancing around Quilava trying to agitate him. He saw the herd of Taurus charging around, almost trampling Glalie who was just floating by.

Gary was both heartened and saddened as he watched his ex-rival's Pokémon enjoy themselves, they were incredible specimens; so powerful and yet so happy and playful, a combination which was all too rare in owned Pokémon, and they were powerful indeed. Although Ash had struggled through Unova, both his own skill and his Pokémon's power had increased dramatically on his re-run through the cold northern region of Sinnoh. The raven haired Pokémon Trainer had breezed through most of the contestants at the Lily of the Valley Conference without much trouble. Gary figured that after the Conference Ash would have gone on to challenge an Elite Four whatever the outcome of his match against Paul. Well… any outcome except the one that happened at least…

Gary was deeply affected what had happened as, despite his initial rivalry with the immature raven-haired boy, Gary had grown to respect the formidable man that Ash had become. Gary knew that Ash was the best friend he ever had; he also knew that he didn't deserve Ash, as a friend or indeed as an opponent, not after what the young researcher had done to him. He held deep resentment for his younger, foolish self and although Ash had forgiven him, Gary had yet to forgive himself. And now he wasn't sure he ever would be able to with Ash gone.

He continued to watch his best friend's Pokémon as he tried to think of how he was to break the news of Ash's probable fate to his Pokémon. They believed he was still out in the wilderness somewhere; traveling, training and catching Pokémon.

Gary's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and he breathed a sigh of relief; any distraction was welcome right now. He slowly stood up and headed towards the entrance of his grandfather's Lab to answer the door. He gazed through the peephole and saw the formidable Sinnoh Champion standing at his grandfather's threshold. He wasn't all that surprised that Cynthia was in Pallet Town; he had figured he would soon be getting a visit from a G-Men official regarding Ash.

#########

Gary Oak opened the door, stepped out and extended his hand in greeting to the blonde champion, "Good Afternoon Ms. Lawson, what can I do for you today?" Cynthia warily gripped his hand and shook; the last time she had grabbed his hand he had brought her hand to his lips in an attempt to woo her, but she figured he was probably a bit pre-occupied to attempt to flirt right now.

She started to speak, "Hello Mr. Oak, is your grandfather in today? I need to speak to him about the Kanto Champion and… " She trailed off when she noticed that a look of shock and excitement had dawned across the young researcher's face.

"I'm very sorry Ms. Lawson but I need to check on something quickly, please come in and make yourself at home," he said very quickly out before rushing back inside and towards the Corral.

Cynthia, quite curious now, decided to follow him. As she stepped outside into the Corral she saw Gary heading towards a floating white Pokémon. She approached him and asked, "What's wrong with that Glalie?" Gary turned around and Cynthia saw that he had a broad smile on his face. "Nothing is wrong with it, it just happens to be Ash's Glalie!" He stated as his smile grew even larger.

Cynthia gasped, "Are you sure? This Glalie is Ash's?!" Gary nodded happily, "This should be proof enough that it wasn't Ash right? I mean that's why you're here isn't it?" he said hopefully. "Well it won't quite acquit Ash of all his charges but it will certainly help in the long run, but no, that's not actually why I'm here." Gary's smile drooped before he composed himself, put a polite expression on his face and asked, "Well then, what can I do for you Ms. Lawson?"

Although Cynthia was looking for his grandfather decided to go ahead and ask Gary her questions anyway, "Champion Red was born in Pallet Town and as you well know he is one of the most mysterious people in the world. So I was wondering if there is anything that you and your grandfather, as fellow Pallet Town natives, know about Red that others don't; like who his friends were, what were his favourite regions, his favourite training sites and…" Again Cynthia trailed off, getting a bit annoyed now, as Gary fished his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen before sighing. "I'm really sorry Ms. Lawson but I really have to take this call."

Cynthia nodded politely but frowned slightly; it didn't look anyone was calling him. As Gary wandered off talking to whoever had 'called' him she decided to wander around the Corral a bit while watching Ash's Pokémon. She eventually found herself by a small pond next to a little cave and decided to rest there a bit. She took off her high heels and long black coat, revealing a simple black tank top that clung to her curvaceous body, before sitting down and resting her feet in the water. She lay back, closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure as the cool waters soothed her feet.

She lay in silence and just listened. She listened to the call of the Bird Pokémon, to the splashing of the Fish Pokémon, to the various noises of the other Pokémon frolicking around this beautiful slice of heaven tucked away in Pallet Town. As she herself had grown up in the quaint little town of Celestic she knew the joy of growing up in a small and isolated settlement surrounded by the country. She knew how to appreciate the beauty of the natural earth, a skill seemingly absent from many of the modern world's inhabitants.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh air before releasing it slowly. She felt the soft grass with her hands as it caressed her arms and back. She felt the goldeen in the pond nibbling at her feet, causing her to giggle happily. Being a G-Men Officer and Council Member was a very stressful job and her troubles had only increased since the Colossus had struck, she had had only a few hours' sleep since that day and she needed all the rest she could get. This little relaxing break was very welcome to her indeed.

Cynthia frowned when a shadow fell upon her face and she opened her eyes to discover the cause. She was startled by the face staring back at her. It was small tubby dark blue-skinned Pokémon with a red underbelly. It had small paws attached to short stubby arms and legs. Upon its head was a large fin with two egg shaped appendages protruding from either side just behind its coal black eyes. Upon each appendage and its back was a pale blue stripe. Lastly it had a very small tail and a gaping maw of razor sharp fangs, the latter all too visible as it smiled ominously down at Cynthia. "Gible?" Cynthia screamed as it leapt at her face.

#########

When Gary was out of Cynthia's hearing range he stopped pretending to talk into his phone before dialing an actual number. The phone rang a few times before he heard a feminine voice, "Hello this is Delia speaking." Gary began talking rapidly, "Mrs. Ketchum! Cynthia is here at the lab and she's asking me about Red! Gramps isn't here right now and I don't know what to do!"

As Gary panted, catching his breath, he heard his best friend's mum speak reassuringly, "Calm down Gary, I'll tell you what to do." Gary breathed a sigh of relief as Delia continued, "Earlier today I was at the Viridian Police Station when Cynthia began asking me about Ash. She got a call from Bruno telling her that Lance and his Dragonite had been murdered by an incredibly strong charizard. Naturally she assumed that Red's Charizard is the only charizard strong enough to have done it. I thought it would be best if she believed that that was the truth, so I acted as if I didn't know anything about Red. You have to do the same, convince Cynthia that you don't know Red and tell your grandfather to do the same if you have the chance."

Gary sighed with dread, lying to a Champion, a G-Men Officer no less, was not an ideal action. "Ok Mrs. Ketchum, thanks for the advice, I'll call Gramps now." He hung up only to call his grandfather. He told Professor Oak what he had just been told before he hung up again. Gary was about to go and find Cynthia when an ominous thought occurred to him. He quickly headed back into the lab and accessed the vid-phone. He selected a contact and waited before a familiar face with messy spiked green hair popped up onto the screen. "Hey Liza, I need to see Ash's Charizard, is he there?"

Liza frowned, "Well it's funny you should say that Gary…" Gary's face went pale and his stomach twisted and flopped, his fears were founded it seemed. "Why?" he asked tentatively. Liza's reply hit Gary like a brick wall, "Well Ash's Charizard just took up and left a while ago, it looked like he was heading for Kanto, in the direction of Viridian I think."

#########

Gible was happy; it had successfully tripped Sceptile with the help of friend Oshawott and the ensuing battle had fired him up with adrenaline. He wanted more! He could feel that he was close to evolving and he really wanted to battle so that he finally could. Unfortunately Ash's Kantonian, Johtonian and Hoenn Pokémon were much too strong for him and his Unovian Pokémon were just too weak, this narrowed his choices down to Pokémon from his own region but Infernape and Torterra were too strong, Buizel was too fast now that it had evolved and both Staraptor and Gliscor were too damn high.

Gible suddenly sensed a powerful presence, close to the pond and cave where he and Oshawott lived. He headed in that direction until he saw a strange blonde woman lying down with her feet in the pond. She had a weird smile on her face and her eyes were closed, but what really captured his attention was the power emanating from the PokéBalls at her waist; they seemed the same level as him! She was a worthy opponent!

"Gible!" he growled happily and he waddled his way to the woman. What Gible didn't realise was that the power he sensed was just a smidgeon of the power of the Pokémon within. The fact that he could even sense any strength at all through the highly insulated linings of a PokéBall meant that the Pokémon within were incredibly powerful.

Gible reached the woman and challenged her loudly, "Gible!" After a few seconds of no response he frowned; it appeared the woman had somehow not heard him. "GIBLE!" he yelled. Again, the woman lay still, absent to the world around her. Gible growled in frustration before an idea came to him. He smiled wickedly.

He leaned over the woman's face, blocking the sun, and opened his mouth, the gaping maw filled with razor sharp fangs but empty of saliva as most Dragon's mouths were. The woman finally opened her eyes and stared at him in horror. She screamed as Gible lunged forward and enclosed her head in his mouth. A few moments later Gible cried as he transformed into formless red energy before being sucked into a PokéBall.

#########

Cynthia took a deep breath of fresh air to dispel the horrible stench of the dragon's mouth before looking up at her savior. There stood an old man with short sandy hair and thick eyebrows. His red shirt was tucked into his light brown trousers and he wore a crispy clean white lab coat.

Professor Oak leaned on his walking staff as he smiled gently down at Cynthia and pocketed Gible's PokéBall. "I am terribly sorry about that Ms. Lawson, that was Ash's Gible and he has an unfortunate habit of biting people's heads. He's never hurt anyone though, are you alright?" After she had calmed down a bit Cynthia lifted her feet out the water and stood up. She wiped her wet feet on the grass as she shook the professor's hand. "I'm fine Professor thank you. Actually I came here to see you." Professor Oak, who had already received the call from his grandson, feigned surprise, "Oh? Whatever for?"

Cynthia slipped her shoes on as she spoke, "I need to know everything about Red that you know, from his favourite food to his favourite training sites." Professor Oak nodded, "I see, I suppose I should have known. You'd best come in then, I'll boil some tea and bring out the biscuits while we talk."

Cynthia smiled at the kindly old man before bowing her head slightly in acquiescence. "Thank you Professor." She picked up her coat and began following the old man back to the lab when he suddenly turned around. "Oh, and Ms. Lawson?"

"Yes Professor?"

"You'd best put your coat back on; my grandson may be depressed but he can only take so much before his… unsavoury habits return," he said while chuckling. Cynthia looked down and blushed heavily as she realized that her outfit without the coat didn't leave much to the imagination. She hurriedly put her coat on as she tried in vain to dispel her reddened cheeks.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Gym; 01/04/2013:_**

Blue bid his farewells to Jenny and Bruno before leaning back in his chair and resting his fingertips together, his index fingers resting upon his lower lip. He had no doubt that Jenny was disappointed with how little he had told her about Red, but he had gotten very interesting information in return. Apparently earlier this morning Jenny had interviewed a certain Mrs. Ketchum with Cynthia, this was pleasing to Blue for he now had a trump card to play.

He had also been informed of Lance's demise which had apparently occurred near to his Gym, but it was of little importance to Blue, he knew that Jenny's theory was hogwash, he didn't know who had been at the Conference in Sinnoh and he didn't know who had killed Lance, but he knew that Red definitely wasn't the culprit.

This Ash character though… Blue hated Ash after the kid had destroyed most of his expensive Team Rocket operations, especially the one with Mewtwo at Mt. Quena. Not to mention what Ash had done to his son. No, Blue may have enough money to bribe the League and certain members of the G-Men Council to allow him to keep his Gym and continue his illegal Team Rocket operations and Blue may have fooled his soft pathetic father and abandoned his only son, but Blue did not have enough money to recreate or recapture Mewtwo and Blue could not fool Mewtwo into working for him, but neither could he abandon his dream project.

Blue unclipped one of his PokéBalls and released the Pokémon within. His alakazam appeared in flash of white light and nodded at his master. Blue spoke, "Alakazam, you will travel to Pallet Town and find a woman who lives there called Delia Ketchum. Just watch her for now and if she has any Pokémon be sure that they are not in the way when the time comes. Incapacitate or control them it's up to you, but Delia is not to be harmed. As the clock strikes midnight on the morning of the 3rd, you will subdue her and bring her to me. Do you understand?"

Alakazam nodded before crossing his spoons and disappearing. Blue sat back smiled ominously; he was going to have a lot of fun with a beautiful woman like Delia, and he knew people who wouldn't be happy about it. His smile grew as the path to his goal became much, much clearer.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Police Station; 02/04/2013:_**

Thick silence rang out in the waiting room of Viridian City's Police Station, interrupted only by the occasional sniffle or cough, or by the tapping of impatient feet. Max looked around the room as he clutched his sister's hand with one hand and soothingly rubbed her back with other. He did not appear his age of 15; he had grown in height but still remained scrawny and his face still retained its baby fat. But he was remarkably mature for his age and despite his sister being older than him by five years, he knew that she needed more comforting than he did.

May had grown into an incredibly beautiful woman; although her body was already more developed than most her age back when she travelled with Ash, it had only developed more as she grew. She had a generous bosom and well-defined rear and her arms and legs were lined mostly with muscle and a small amount of fat, a result of her rigorous exercising which she maintained for her role as a famous Coordinator. She currently wore her red and navy blue shirt that extended down over her navy cycling shorts, and upon her head was her famous red and white bandanna.

Max knew his sister was beautiful and he could admire it from a proud brotherly perspective. He also knew what May's friends thought of her appearance as, one night at a party thrown by Mrs. Ketchum for Ash's birthday on his year off, he had overheard all of Ash's male friends, consisting of Brock, Gary, Tracey, Ritchie, Todd, Barry, Kenny and even Harley, remark on her looks. Even Ash had agreed that May was the most attractive of his female friends, and it was quite obvious that Ash was madly in love with Misty.

Max heard a yawn from the other side of May and glared at the owner of said yawn. May's 'loving', 'caring' and 'sweet' boyfriend Drew was slumped in his seat, eyes shut tight and mouth wide open as he yawned. Max really couldn't see what May saw in the green-haired idiot, she called him sweet and caring, etc. But all Max could see a typical man throwing flirty-bordering-on-creepy comments and roses at her just to get her into bed with him.

But what had Max really confused is how May could call her boyfriend sweet and caring when it was obvious that he cared nothing for her feelings and emotions. This was further proven by the fact that all he had done since the 'Valley of Death' explosion was taunt and flirt with his sister. Couldn't he see that she was in mourning?! Indeed May was grieving not just the loss of Ash and Brock, who may have well been two more brothers, but also the loss of her best friend Dawn.

Sure May had met Misty and the two were close, but Dawn was to May what Brock was to Ash, they were practically siblings. The two Coordinators had shared each other's deepest secrets and fears and had spent many a night together watching Disney movies, eating ice cream and discussing boys. Max had often watched them train together in his backyard as he had developed a small crush on his sisters' best friend, and he could see how close the two were by the joy the shared in each other's company. Max returned his attention to his sister as he saw her eyes watering, her nose dripping and her shoulders shaking. He gazed into his sisters' beautiful blue eyes and saw sadness and… anger?

Max frowned, he was worried that May might actually believe that Ash really was responsible for the death of Dawn. The siblings had not spoken of the event as it was just too painful to speak of, so Max knew not the thoughts of his sister regarding it, aside from the obvious grief. Max was also sad of course, he had lost a brother and mentor in Ash's fate, whatever it may be, and Brock was dear to him as well. But Max knew his sister needed him and so, displaying once again his remarkable maturity, he sucked up his troubles and focused on comforting May as he looked around the room yet again.

To his left sat Ash's Unovian travelling partners, a stunning black woman with reddish tinted eyes a head of huge purple hair that reached almost to her feet and a remarkably well dressed man with large green eyes and smooth green hair that stuck up at the front in a neat tuft. The latter appeared a much friendlier and more approachable man than a certain other green-haired man that Max knew.

Though Max had personally never met the pair he had overheard Dawn talking about them when she was over for one of her and May's slumber parties. He knew that the woman was called Iris Hawthorne and she was a Dragon Tamer training with Champion Alder to become the next Unovian Champion. The well-dressed man was Cilan Stevenson and he shared his Striaton City Gym Leader status with his two brothers, Cress and Chili Stevenson. They appeared exhausted but this didn't surprise Max; Unova was very far away so they must have flown most of yesterday afternoon, through the night and arrived this morning.

They were both obviously grieving, their faces marred by reddened eyes and noses. Iris appeared the worst off of the two and she sniffled every now and then. Max stared at Iris; there were not many black people in Hoenn and she was the first one he had seen aside from Brock. She was darker than Brock and her skin shone under the bright light of the waiting room. Max continued to stare at the dark woman until she glanced at him and caught him staring at her. He blushed and quickly looked away and at the other residents of the room.

Opposite from him sat Ash's mother and first rival, Delia Ketchum and Gary Oak respectively. Max narrowed his eyes at the latter; it was clear from Dawn's ramblings about the young researcher that he had made an impression on her during her travels in Sinnoh and Max wasn't too happy about that. However Max decided to ignore his dislike of the well-known womanizer for the time being; He was one of Ash's closest friends and he was no doubt mourning the loss of the raven-haired man that had brought all them together as well. But he did notice that Gary looked a bit nervous as he glanced around the room, as if he knew some terrible secret that no one else did.

Max noticed that Mrs. Ketchum also looked a bit nervous but he supposed that was reasonable; she was the mother of the man who had allegedly killed Brock and Dawn and plunged the Pokémon world into confusion and fear. She knew that whatever she thought, her son and consequently she would now always be a target for grief and anger, and she knew that her son's friends would be looking for answers.

Max briefly glanced at his sister to find her glaring at Mrs. Ketchum, a fact the nervous mother was well aware of as she shuffled anxiously and adjusted her dark blue skirt while pointedly looking everywhere but May's direction. Max frowned again and gently squeezed his sister's hand, drawing her attention to him. He conveyed love and support through his eyes but gently shook his head. Her glare withered gradually before she smiled weakly but with gratitude and returned her gaze to her lap.

Max turned his attention to the last pair in the room who sat to his right next to the door through which they had all arrived. A tall, well-built and athletic looking red headed woman and an older and scruffy looking… hippie… sat in a similar manner to Iris and Cilan, obviously very much in pain and sorrow, though the red headed woman's appearance made Iris look as if she had just won the lottery in comparison.

They were of course Misty Waterflower, Ash's best friend and crush and Gym Leader of Cerulean and toughest Gym Leader in Kanto, and Tracey Sketchit, a Pokémon Watcher and artist who smelled of hemp and who was currently dating Misty's eldest sister Daisy. Max had no idea what need the esteemed and prodigious Professor Oak had of the usually stoned artist, but he suspected Tracey's seemingly limitless supply of cannabis had something to do with it. An old man needed his 'pain medicine' after all.

Max took a close look at Misty, although he had met her years ago in Hoenn he had not known of Ash's huge crush on her at the time, so now that he knew he was curious as to what drew the raven-haired man to her. Max could see immediately that Misty was a gorgeous woman; she wore tight blue jeans and a tight light blue tank top that really didn't leave much to the imagination. It was obvious that she exercised regularly as she had not a trace of fat on her body yet she wasn't too skinny, implying she had a lot of muscle, but not enough to lose the sensuous curves of a woman.

Her fiery red hair had darkened slightly and she had grown it out, she no longer kept it in her side ponytail but rather a standard ponytail at her back of head with a fringe and few strands down the front and sides of her face. But what really caught Max's attention were her eyes that were framed by perfect and elegantly arched eyebrows that were a darker shade of red than her hair. Though her pupils were reddened with mourning, the stunning green of her irises were still very visible. Unlike Cilan, whose green eyes blended in with his hair and face and as such were sort of forgettable, Misty's eyes stood out and radiated beauty and gracefulness.

Ash, it appeared despite his denseness, had a fine taste in women, Max though, though he highly doubted that Misty's appearance was the only reason a sincere man like Ash had fallen in love with her. If it was true that Ash's crush was reciprocated like Brock had once mentioned, then Ash was a very lucky man indeed.

Tracey, however, was somewhat of a joke amongst Ash's other friends, they all respected his skill as an artist and even as a Trainer, but it was well known that he smoked a lot of weed and therefore he wasn't always as sharp and perceptive as he used to be when travelling in the Orange Archipelago with Ash and Misty. As a result of his habit he often forgot to wash so he tended to smell and his hair was often tangled and messy, it was a real mystery how he had managed to snag the eldest Sensational Sister as his girlfriend.

But he was grieving as well and Max deigned to reserve his judgements of the Watcher during this period of mourning. Max's musing was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and he turned his attention to the new arrival. The regal and formidable Cynthia Lawson entered and glanced around the room before bringing her penetrating gaze to him.

#########

Cynthia slowly looked around at the room and all its occupants with a stern yet somehow friendly face, only four of nine seated returned her gaze as it fell upon them. She recognized Delia and Gary and she acknowledged them with a nod of her head, which was returned. The only other two that returned her gaze she did not recognize, she figured that the blue haired teenager with glasses was Max Maple, sister to May Maple, the brunette girl sitting next to him. But she had no idea who the green-haired man gaping at her on the other side of May was.

Perhaps if she actually cared about Pokémon Coordinating she would have recognized him as Drew Hayden who, until recently as he was now dating May, was considered the most eligible bachelor in Coordinating. But Cynthia did not care about Coordinating and so she ignored his leering expression and focused instead on Max, who was staring at her with a mixture of wonder, weariness and even trepidation. She tried to reassure him by smiling gently before she turned to Ash's mother and gestured to her with her hand.

The auburn haired woman stood up slowly before making her way past Cynthia and into the room from which the blonde came from. Cynthia then looked to the red-headed woman and called her name, "Misty Waterflower, will you please follow me?" Misty looked up slowly and stared at the blonde Champion with piercing green eyes that seemed to pull Cynthia into her soul. Cynthia could somehow sense the Cerulean native's pain through those stunning eyes and she lessened her stern expression hoping to make the red-head feel a bit more comfortable with the whole situation.

Cynthia turned around and headed back into the room when she saw Misty rising from her seat. She shut the door behind Misty and gestured for her to sit next to Delia on one side of the table in the middle of the room. Upon the table was a screen attached to DVD Player. Cynthia sat down on the opposite side and began to fiddle with the DVD Player and screen as she began speaking. "Mrs. Ketchum and Ms. Waterflower, I have called you in here to ask you a few questions regarding Ash Ketchum."

She paused as she managed to get the Player to work, before continuing to speak, "What I am about to show you is the footage of the actions of the as of yet unidentified man codenamed 'the Colossus' at the Final of the Lily of the Valley Conference that took place on the 23rd of March 2013, informally known as the 'Valley of Death'. I realise that this may be hard to watch but I must ask that you pay careful attention to the video and especially to the Colossus so that we may perhaps learn his identity."

Luckily, thanks to today's superior technology, all cameras at stadiums and concert halls immediately sent footage of what was occurring to the nearest Pokémon Centre, which was then stored in the Centre Database. Therefore Cynthia had only to access Database and download the footage of the Colossus at the Conference and burn it onto a DVD.

She had also checked the measurements of the Colossus recorded by the podium and she found that they indeed did not meet Ash's measurements which had caused her to wonder why the referee was not alerted to this fact. But she now had proof that the Colossus wasn't Ash Ketchum which was very good news.

"I do have some news that will perhaps make it slightly easier to watch however. Delia, I did as you asked and checked those measurements, they did not match your son's measurements, the Colossus isn't Ash." Cynthia grinned as Delia smiled widely and even Misty appeared to brighten considerably at the news.

"Now I know that you were no doubt watching the Final on TV and have already seen this footage but you may have been caught up in the excitement of the match and therefore missed a few things, also this footage was filmed by a secret camera situated in the Podiums. The camera is usually used by a referee to decide if an illegal action had been performed in a match or contest but in this case it provides a close-up of what happened. Please tell me if you see something unusual."

Cynthia began to play the recording and the three seated women stared intensely at the screen as the entire event was repeated a couple of times before Misty yelled, "Wait pause it there!" Cynthia, startled by Misty's shout, fumbled for the remote but failed to pause it in time, so Misty took the remote from the Champion's hands and rewound it herself. She paused it when the Colossus' Pikachu first came out onto the battlefield before leaning forward and studying the yellow mouse intently.

Misty suddenly grinned and turned to speak excitedly at Cynthia, "Ms. Lawson I've seen that Pikachu before, and it isn't Ash's Pikachu!" Cynthia gasped and leaned in to get a better look at the Pikachu. Sure enough she noticed there was something odd about it; the Pikachu on the screen had a tuft of hair upon its forehead that poked upwards.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the second chapter done, I realise that it was less dramatic, with a lot less dead people than the first one, but it contained a lot of important information for the story to progress.<strong>

**Changes:**

**-Red's story of the 'the Great Slaughter' has changed so that instead of him single handedly facing the four other champions, it was a free for all battle in which each champion released one Pokémon that fought all of the others simultaneously. It was staged in order to see which champion would get the chance to battle the Pokémon Master for his title.**

**-A bit of history of Mt. Silver, introducing Ghurkas, who are based off the Nepalese Ghurkas, and mentioning that the furthest anyone had ever climbed was the 8000 metre mark. That person happens to be Professor Oak.**

**And that's actually it.**

**If you are confused about something, or you want to ask me something, please feel free to PM me and I will try my best to reply without giving away spoilers unless you want them.**

**-SwallowtheSun**


	3. Chapter 3: Within Thy Empty Stare

**Hello again,**

**Here is the next chapter and it's a bit more dramatic than the last one.**

**If you've already read this chapter and are wondering what has changed in my rewrite of this, please refer to the author's note at the end.**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**There is an excerpt in here which comes from Nightwish's 'The Poet And The Pendulum', which I do not own. It's a fantastic song and I highly suggest you listen to it if you like female-fronted rock bands.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Within Thy Empty Stare<strong>

**_Viridian City Police Station; 02/04/2013:_**

Cynthia was pleased but annoyed, she was pleased that Misty had been able to possibly identify the Colossus, but she was annoyed that Misty's suspect wasn't Red. She supposed she should be relieved that the world's strongest Pokémon Trainer wasn't on a killing rampage but it was well known that Red was the only trainer known to have Colossal Pokémon. So the fact that this relatively unknown Ritchie Jackson, as Misty had called him, had gotten his hands on Colossal Pokémon was worrying and the source of her irritation.

As for who killed Lance, Cynthia had received Nurse Joy's report on Dragonite earlier and she knew that the mysterious charizard was definitely of Colossal Strength, so Cynthia figured that Ritchie killed Lance as well, especially since Ritchie actually had a charizard according to Misty.

Cynthia supposed that another boon to the whole situation is that since they now knew that Red wasn't killing people, he could be their strongest ally against the Colossus, but that again led to the problem of finding the damn man. Her talk with Professor Oak had yielded no results and she had met with Jenny and surprisingly Bruno before her session with Delia and Misty, so she knew that Blue knew nothing of the Master's whereabouts either.

Bruno had also told her of his plan to try and ask the Legendaries to help and, while Jenny had scoffed at his plan, Cynthia admitted that it was worth a try. So she had asked Bruno to ask the nearest Legendary, wherever that was, and see what sort of deal could be made. As far as she knew they were on their way to Pallet Town to catch a ferry to Shamouti Island in the Orange Archipelago, where Lugia, Guardian of the Seas, apparently resided.

Cynthia realized with a start that she had drifted off into her thoughts, so she returned her focus to the two seated in front of her. She had since dismissed Misty and Delia and called in Gary and Tracey, she didn't think that they would be able to help her find either Red or Ritchie, but since she had had all these people called in she figured she might as well ask them what they knew.

She stared at the two men before she spoke to the older one, "Mr. Sketchit, what can you tell me about Ritchie Jackson?" Cynthia leaned back and awaited her answer. Tracey leaned forward, placed his hands upon the desk and was about to speak when he noticed the screen on the desk. His eyes widened and he gasped, "That's… that's a beautiful microwave… Miss umm… Mrs… no… Mrs. Championess!" Gary groaned and face-palmed as Tracey giggled, "That's a TV Tracey," he said wearily.

Cynthia raised a brow before noticing the Watcher's reddened eyes and bittersweet stench. "Mr. Sketchit, are you high?!" she exclaimed. Tracey didn't respond as his eyes were fixated on the 'microwave', it looked like he was trying to open the 'door'. Cynthia stared at him incredulously; this man came into a Police Station for a G-Men Investigation… while high on weed!

Gary, who found Tracey's predicament too painful to watch any longer decided to try and save the stoned Watcher. "Ms. Lawson please forgive my friend's state, you see he is both a Watcher and an artist so a lot of his drawings are impromptu and are done in awkward positions and because of this he sometimes has issues with his joints. He uses my grandfather's prescription for cannabis to relieve the pain sometimes."

Cynthia nodded understandingly but inwardly smirked; she knew that Gary's excuse for Tracey was a load of crock but she also knew that there were more important things to do right now than arrest some pothead. Since the Watcher appeared to be preoccupied she turned her focus to the brunette researcher sitting next to said Watcher. "Well Mr. Oak, perhaps I can finally get a few answers from you before you run off again hmm?"

She had said that in jest of course and Gary chuckled nervously, he was about to reply when Tracey burst out laughing, "HAHAHA! Hohohoho Gary! She got you good there eh? Hehehe!" Tracey continued chuckling until he realized that he didn't understand the jest, at which point he frowned and started muttering to himself. When it became apparent that he wasn't stopping anytime soon, Cynthia went ahead with her questions.

"So Mr. Oak, I showed Ms. Waterflower and Mrs. Ketchum footage of the incident in Sinnoh and they identified the man on the podium, codenamed 'the Colossus', as one Ritchie Jackson. What do you know about Ritchie Jackson?" Gary was shocked at the news, evident by his gaping mouth and wide eyes. Composing himself, he spoke disbelievingly, "I met him a couple of times and he and Ash were really close friends, in fact they met during Ash's first League at the Indigo Plateau. They eventually faced each other but Ash lost because-"

Gary was interrupted by Cynthia waving her hand. "Yes yes, Misty already told me about all that. Do you know anything else about him?" Gary, a little perturbed by Cynthia's impatience, nodded, "Well I was talking to him at one of Ash's Homecoming parties once, and he remarked that he was from Frodomar City here in Kanto. I've never heard of the place though."

Cynthia sighed, as a regional representative of the G-Men Council she was required to know all the regions and their cities, mayors, histories, etc. She knew that there was no city in Kanto called Frodomar and there never was. She slumped in her seat and that's when she noticed that the young researcher was fidgeting nervously with his hands upon the desk. She knew this was unusual behavior and so she knew that Gary knew something that she didn't. This irritated Cynthia to no end as she took her job very seriously and there was nothing she hated more than when people withheld useful information for her investigations, no matter the reason for their silence.

"What is it Gary?" She asked with an annoyed expression upon her face. Gary was startled but then he sighed, he supposed he should have known that a G-Men Detective could see through him. "Well… since you now know that the Colossus isn't Ash, I suppose it's safe to tell you this. The phone call that interrupted our discussion last time was from Liza Thane, a charizard caretaker who resides in the Charicific Valley Natural Reserve in Johto. She told me that Ash's Charizard had took up and left, she told me that she thought he was heading for Viridian City…"

Cynthia sat forward in alarm, "Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?!" she asked, voice raised and bristling in anger. Gary, intimidated by the Sinnoh Champion's anger, stuttered nervously, "W-well I d-didn't want to tell you in case y-you thought it was A-Ash that killed Lance." Gary gulped as he saw Cynthia groan and pinch the bridge of her nose.

Cynthia, barely able to control her fury now, spoke threateningly, "Four things Gary, firstly you withheld information integral to a G-Men Investigation from a G-Men Official, an act which I could have you arrested for!" Gary was really quite scared now, Cynthia was probably the most powerful woman in the Pokémon World and he had managed to piss her off, and now she was threatening him with arrest!

Cynthia continued speaking in that ominous tone, "Secondly, I think you misunderstand me, I am not your friend, I am not Mrs. Ketchum's friend and I am not Ash's friend. I am not here to prove Ash innocent; I am here to catch a killer before he kills again. If Ash turns out to be that killer I will not hesitate to put him down. Thirdly I have no proof that the Colossus and Lance's murderer is the same person so while Ash may not have been at the Conference, he could have easily been the one to kill Lance. What you have told me has listed Ash as my primary suspect for the murder of a G-Men Official and Regional Champion."

Gary paled as he realized that he may have just doomed Ash, Mrs. Ketchum was going to kill him! If Cynthia didn't kill him first that is.

"And lastly, when I was 'interrupted'" Cynthia made quotation marks with her fingers as she said that, "by Liza's 'phone call' I hadn't yet told you of Lance's demise, which means that either you knew about it beforehand, labelling you as an accessory to murder, or that 'phone call' wasn't really Liza and whoever it was told you about Lance. Or perhaps you didn't know about Lance at all until you saw Mrs. Ketchum today on your way into Viridian, which means that you never spoke to Lisa which means that you don't know anything about Ash's Charizard which means that you could be trying to frame Ash for Lance's murder!"

Cynthia knew that wasn't true but she also knew that Gary's 'phone call' was fake, which meant that he was still hiding something from her. Cynthia was no stranger to cheap underhand tricks to get people to talk, in fact her 'promise' to Ash's mother the day before about how Ash was still alive was, while partially genuine as Delia's plight had truly tugged at her heartstrings, mainly a ruse to get the mourning mother to trust the G-Men Agent and cough up information she might not have done otherwise. Cynthia's accusation of Gary's framing of Ash was no different. It was just a scare tactic to get the researcher to talk, and it succeeded.

Gary was visibly shaking now, "N-no no no! I did speak to Liza I promise!" He sighed; he knew that Cynthia knew the phone call was fake, so he knew that he was going to have to tell the blonde Champion at least some of the truth. He just hoped Mrs. Ketchum could forgive him.

He took a deep breath, and then began to speak, "The 'phone call' that interrupted our discussion was fake; as soon as you had left I called Mrs. Ketchum. I told her that you had come to the Lab and that you were asking questions about Red. I asked her what to do and she told me to tell you nothing useful about Red, I told Gramps to do the same afterwards. I then called Liza because I suddenly got a feeling that something was wrong with Ash's Charizard. It was then that she told me about his sudden departure."

"Why did Mrs. Ketchum tell you to do that?" Cynthia questioned while glaring ferociously at the poor shaking researcher. Gary nervously wrung his hands before speaking again, "Gramps, Mrs. Ketchum and I thought that as long as you thought that Red was responsible for the 'Valley of Death' and later Lance's murder, then Ash would at least be safe from the Law."

Cynthia leaned forward, "And what information do you three have that would prove otherwise?" she whispered ominously. Gary looked down and mumbled something but Cynthia couldn't hear him. Her fury multiplied, "Talk louder Oak!" she snapped viciously. Gary's head shot back up and with a quivering voice, he did as she commanded, "R-Red is d-d-dead Miss Lawson, Mrs. Ketchum received a p-package a few years ago and in it w-was Red's cap and an old videotape. I-it was h-his s-s-suicide n-note and-"

The screeching of Cynthia's chair suddenly being pushed back interrupted him as she stood up and slammed her fists on the metal desk loudly, "You knew that the Kanto Champion and Pokémon Master was dead and you didn't inform the Police!" She shouted furiously, she was reaching her boiling point, which was probably the reason why it didn't occur to her anger-addled mind that Gary's story didn't really make much sense. She continued ranting, "Not only do you neglect to tell me that Ash could be Lance's murderer but you-"

She was interrupted by Tracey standing up, walking around the table and hugging her, "Don't worry Championess, don't worry, he can't hurt you anymore…" he whispered softly as he stroked the back of her head. Cynthia's eyes widened before narrowing sharply; she had reached her boiling point. With a snarl she shoved the stoned Watcher away from her before grabbing the back of his head, sweeping his legs out from under him with her foot, and promptly smashing his face onto the cold hard surface of the metal table. There was an audible crunch as his nose broke and as Cynthia let go of his head and he slipped off the table and onto the floor, blood could be seen leaking out of his nose. There was also a smeared trail of blood on the table.

Gary was now standing with his back against the wall, staring with fear at the ferocious Sinnoh Champion as she rolled the Watcher onto his stomach with her foot before leaning down, bringing his arms behind his back and clasping a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. "Tracey Sketchit, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence, you stupid bastard!" She snarled. She then grabbed his hair and, with strength that defied rationality, pulled him up to his feet before grabbing his neck and roughly guiding him out the door and into the waiting room.

The occupants of the waiting room looked up at the commotion and were shocked at what they saw. Cynthia saw Misty and Delia get up but before they could open their mouths she fixed the latter with a murderous glare and pointed her finger at her and then at the door she had just come through. "You! Join Gary and wait for me! And you!" She turned to the red-head and hissed at her, "Not a word or you'll be joining your sister's boyfriend here!" Instead of doing as she commanded, Cynthia was surprised when the two women returned her glare.

"How dare you talk to us like that! We have come here, while in mourning might I add, at your behest to help you with your investigation, and you abuse Tracey and threaten us with arrest?! We have no legal obligation to help you and we will not if this is the way you will treat us!" Delia said sharply to the furious G-Men Official. "You can't arrest me! I've done nothing wrong! And why is Tracey's nose bleeding?!" Misty questioned angrily as she stepped up to examine the Watcher's nose, she then she noticed his hands locked behind his back, "Is he in handcuffs?!" Misty yelled incredulously.

Cynthia growled, these people were really winding her up, "You're wrong Delia. You, Gary and Professor Oak _will_ help me or I will have you three arrested for failing to supply vital information for the G-Men Investigations of the Colossus' attack at the Conference and the murder of Lance!" Everyone in the room except for Cynthia, Delia, Misty and Tracey gasped as they heard that last bit; none of them had known about Lance's death.

Cynthia gestured to Tracey, "As for this pothead, I'm arresting him for the consumption of the illegal substance cannabis, and if any of you try to stop me, I'll have you arrested for attempting to interfere with an arrest!"

"You can't do that!" Cynthia's glare snapped to the new voice, whose owner appeared to suddenly regret drawing attention to himself. Nevertheless the young Maple boy bravely continued speaking, "You can't arrest someone for having consumed cannabis, only if you caught them either in possession of or in the act of consuming the drug can you arrest them. Otherwise you are assuming he had possession of the drug, and you can't arrest someone because of an assumption!"

Cynthia snarled at the young boy and was about unleash hell on him when May stepped protectively in front of her brother and glared at the blonde Champion, her eyes daring her to shout at her brother. Drew looked on interest though it didn't look like he was willing to get involved as he crossed his arms and purposely avoided Cynthia's glare. May frowned at the lack of support from her boyfriend but returned her attention to the furious blonde.

"My brother's right Cynthia, you can't legally arrest Tracey and if you do, we _will_ report you for abusing your position as a G-Men Official." She said surprisingly calmly, as if she weren't a distraught wreck just a moment ago. Max smiled gratefully up at his sister, despite their constant arguing and fighting, they still loved each other very much and they always stood up for each other.

Cynthia was about to erupt when she looked around the room; everyone, besides Drew, was staring at her, some with fear and some with anger and defiance. She realized that if she wanted their cooperation, she was going to have to calm down before she alienated herself any further. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly, her fury deflating as she did so. She removed the handcuffs from Tracey's wrists and returned them to her coat pocket before shoving him towards the door that led out of the waiting room, "Get out of my sight." She said harshly; she was still pretty angry, but she could think with a relatively clear head now.

As Tracey, bloody nose and all, left the station she turned to Gary, who was standing in the doorway to the interrogation room, and sharply gestured for him to sit in the waiting room. She then slowly looked around the room; she was going to send them all away when Misty had told her about Ritchie seeing as the investigation was no longer about Ash, but now that Gary had told her about Ash's Charizard she had to assume that Ash killed Lance, making him the primary suspect, therefore she still needed to speak to these people.

She turned to the Maple siblings, "Will you come with me please?" She waited while they shuffled past her and into the interrogation room. However she raised both an eyebrow and a hand when the green-haired man tried to follow them. "Umm… Who are you?" she asked. Drew who, like most young men was a big fan of the gorgeous blonde Champion, appeared surprised by her question. "Me? I'm Drew Hayden" he replied coolly while smirking, obviously expecting some sort of impressed reaction.

Cynthia continued staring at him with her brow raised; she still had no idea who he was. "And I'm Cynthia Lawson, Champion of Sinnoh, am I supposed to know who you are?" Max smirked as Drew's smirk slipped of his face and he started spluttering, but May frowned and tapped Cynthia on the shoulder.

"Ms. Lawson he's my boyfriend, and I would appreciate it you let him in with me." The Sinnoh Champion looked at May, her anger bubbling up again. She would 'appreciate' it?! Who did this girl think she was?! She may be the daughter of a Gym Leader but Cynthia was the bloody Champion of Sinnoh! She spoke ominously, "Don't push your luck princess, you may have convinced me to let Mr. Sketchit go but don't think for a moment that you can tell me what to do in my own investigation!"

As May recoiled the G-Men Officer turned back to Drew, "How well do you know Ash Ketchum?" she asked. Drew, who knew of May's thoughts regarding the raven-haired trainer, thought he saw an opportunity to impress his girlfriend. "Ash Ketchum? Well I know he's the scumbag that killed several thousand people a few days ago… why do you ask?" Drew's smirk faded when he saw Cynthia's expression; she looked at him as if he were insane. It was when Cynthia's stare slowly drifted behind him that he realized what he had done.

He turned around slowly and came face to face with a raging mother bear, and she wasn't alone. To the beast's right stood Misty and Gary, glaring at him with venom in their eyes, though the latter seemed to show guilt as well, and to the beast's left stood Iris and Cilan, the former glaring with the same venom as Misty and Gary and the latter with a disapproving frown on his face. Finally he focused on the mother bear herself. Delia spoke quietly but ominously, "What… did you just call my son?" Drew gulped and turned to face the trio behind him, hoping for support but Max just had that infuriating smirk on his face, May avoided his eyes and Cynthia just continued staring at him expressionlessly.

Cynthia suddenly smiled wickedly, "I'm sorry Mr. Hayden, but I don't know who you are so I will not be needing you, why don't you stay here and get to know Ash's friend and family a bit better?" she asked rhetorically while ushering the siblings into the room before following them and slamming the door shut behind her.

Drew turned around and smiled nervously at the mother bear while slowly edging towards the exit. However he soon found out that the exit was blocked by none other than Misty Waterflower, who smiled viciously down at him. Drew gulped.

#########

Cynthia sat down opposite May and Max before leaning forward, placing her elbows on the desk, and resting her chin upon her clasped hands. She remained silent as she stared at the siblings. May and Max glanced at each other in confusion before looking back to the Champion seated in front of them. Were it a more suitable time Max would have been bouncing off the walls in excitement, the world's most powerful, not to mention beautiful, female trainer was seated in front of him after all. But a combination of the morbid situation and Max's newfound fear of the blonde left him both nervous and very silent. Of course the smeared blood and face implant on the steel table didn't do much to calm his nerves.

May, however, eyed the blood with distaste before looking up and meeting the Champion's steely gaze with defiance and determination. Max glanced at his sister and sighed, he had a feeling that May wasn't going to make this easy for his nerves, indeed he soon saw May open her mouth angrily.

"Well? You just gonna stare at us? Or will you do your damn job and cross-examine us?" Cynthia's eyes narrowed and Max gulped, she spoke bitingly, "I know that you're angry at Ash, otherwise your boyfriend wouldn't have pulled that stunt out there, and a livid mind makes for prejudiced opinions, something I have no need for. So I will direct my questions to your younger, more composed and obviously smarter brother." Cynthia, who didn't realise the hypocrisy of her statement regarding May's inability to make rational decisions in her angered mindset, ignored the brunette's outraged spluttering and instead focused on the nervous blunette teenager.

She knew that he was in his mid-teens which meant that he was going through puberty, which meant that the only thing on his mind nowadays was likely food, Pokémon, and breasts. Then again, Ash had always shown interest in only two of those things, and breasts weren't one of them. Nevertheless unless he was gay, which Cynthia doubted, a little harmless seduction would no doubt loosen the teenager's tongue.

With that in mind Cynthia smiled coquettishly at Max while delicately brushing her bangs above her ear, revealing her usually hidden left eye. She panted slightly while waving her hand in front of her face, "All this drama has me getting warm." She said slyly before unbuttoning her coat, revealing her tight low-cut tank top that showed a generous amount of her formidable cleavage.

She glanced up and smirked inwardly at the young boy's reaction; his jaw almost reached the table and his eyes were fixated on what only a privileged few have witnessed. Cynthia, having a huge dislike for media whores and such, always tried her best to keep her private life private, hence why she always wore that coat, to keep her body hidden from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. She had always made doubly sure that her past boyfriends and hook-ups never took pictures or videotaped her while she was changing or showering or… doing other things…

But while Max may have been enraptured with the beauty sitting before him, his sister was not. May scoffed in disbelief while shaking her head, she knew what Cynthia was doing; she had done the same many times to get Drew to do what she wanted. But she wasn't a couple of decades older than Drew, that coupled with the fact that it was happening to her younger brother made it seem so much more disgusting. She glanced at her brother and rolled her eyes at his slack jaw and ogling eyes before reaching over and smacking him on the back of the head and frowning at him when he looked her way, men!

The teenager blushed and then focused his gaze on his hands, which were fiddling with each other nervously. Cynthia leaned forward, making sure that when he looked up he had direct view of her cleavage, and began her inquisition. "So Max Maple, what can you tell me about Ash Ketchum?" Max glanced up and blushed heavily at the view that beheld his eyes. He decided to focus directly on her face… her beautiful, flawless, unblemished face… with delectable lips and serenely arched eyebrows… Max shut his eyes tight as he tried to focus on what was asked of him, he stuttered nervously, "W-well A-ash was…"

He took a deep breath as he thought about the raven-haired Pokémon trainer who had taught him so much about life. He then opened his eyes and focused directly on Cynthia's steely grey ones. With a clear and passionate voice he began speaking, "Ash was-is the man who made me who I am today, he is the man I hope to become one day. Ash is my brother, perhaps not by blood but in every other sense of the word; he is by my brother by spirit, by companionship, and by mentor. I love Ash as I love my sister and as I love my parents. I may have taught myself all there is to know about Pokémon, but Ash taught me how to raise them, how to train them, how to battle with them, and how to love them. He may not have won a single League, he may not be the strongest Pokémon trainer I know, but he is without a doubt the greatest Pokémon trainer I know."

Cynthia leaned back impressed; the boy was a good orator and it was obvious that held the missing raven head in very high regard. She glanced at the boy's sister. May held her head in her hands, her shoulders were shaking and the unmistakable sound of sobbing permeated the air. She repeatedly whispered "I'm sorry Ash, I'm so sorry" amidst her cries. Max's speech and dedication to the boy who had taught the siblings so much about the world had ripped down her walls of hate and reminded her of the love she held for the missing Pokémon Trainer. It wasn't the love of ardor but rather the love of friendship and familial bonds. Ash Ketchum was as much a brother to her as Max was.

Max gazed sadly at his sister before reaching over and rubbing her back soothingly. "Oh Max…" she whimpered as she lunged at him and squeezed him tightly while sobbing into his shoulder. Max held her just as tightly and continued rubbing her back as tears came into his eyes at the sound of sister's pain and guilt over the loss of not only Brock and Dawn, but Ash as well.

Cynthia smiled as she buttoned up her coat and made herself as regal and graceful as she was before; she had gotten what she needed. While there was no documented proof that Ash was innocent of Lance's killing, the love the two siblings had of the raven haired trainer that was so clearly displayed in front of her was proof enough to her of the merits and honesty of Ash Ketchum. He was no murderer and since Cynthia was a G-Men Council Member, she could manipulate the law as she pleased. She decided that when she publicly announced Lance's death, she would also declare Ash innocent of both the actions of the Colossus and the murder of Lance. While she unfortunately couldn't use the measurements from the podium as proof as that information was highly classified, she could use Ash's Glalie and a picture of Sparky, which, according to Misty, was the name of Ritchie's pikachu, to pardon Ash from the 'Valley of Death' incident. As for Lance's murder; well she could just create some proof for that, perhaps a poorly made video of a masked female attacking a Lance lookalike. That should be enough to draw suspicion away from Ash.

She had briefly debated whether or not to reveal the information of this Ritchie Jackson to the world when she learnt of him from Misty, but she eventually decided that the world needed to know that the G-Men were working on the case. A false sense of security was important for the scared people of the Pokémon world; they needed to believe that the G-Men were in control, especially after those recent protests and rumours about the G-Men affiliating with criminal empires and syndicates, and also unfairly bending the law into their own hands. She supposed that last one was true since that was pretty much was she was doing to declare Ash's innocence.

Cynthia realized that releasing the information about Ritchie would probably alienate his friends and family, if they weren't involved that is, and likely cause them to lose their jobs, social standing, etc. But she told herself that she didn't really care; unlike her ex-colleague Bruno she figured that the suffering of a few people was well worth false comfort and the dispelling of possible riots and uprisings against the G-Men, that's what she told herself anyway.

Cynthia stood up, catching the attention of the mourning siblings, and spoke gently, "Thank you, I can see that you need some time alone and I've gotten all I need, you may go." The siblings wordlessly nodded and stood up, Max was the first through the door but before his sister followed, she was stopped by Cynthia, "Wait May." She glanced over her shoulder and Cynthia smiled apologetically at her, "I'm sorry for what I said and how I acted to you, I was angry at the Colossus and I unfairly took it out on you, please forgive me," May nodded with a weak smile, accepting her apology, before stepping through the door without a word.

Cynthia leaned back and smiled; while her anger was not planned, everything else she had done afterwards to both get back into the group's circle of trust and pry what she had needed from the Maple siblings had been. She had purposely angered May and seduced Max, sensing that the girl was conflicted about her thoughts of Ash and knowing that her brother would no doubt try to impress the Champion with what he knew of Ash. As she had hoped May had broken down at Max's speech, had she not then Cynthia would have still doubted Ash's innocence and she didn't want to waste time and effort looking for another missing person.

She stood up and headed back to the waiting room to dismiss everyone, since she had gotten all the information she needed about Ash she didn't need to talk to any of them anymore. But when she got there she saw a strange scene. Gary was glowering at Drew while Cilan and Delia held him back; there was blood on his forehead and Drew had his head held back and was pinching his nose as blood dripped from it. May was fussing about the green haired Coordinator and glaring at Gary while her brother was smiling gleefully. Misty and Iris stood next to each other, creating a barrier between Gary and Drew. They had their arms folded and were scowling at Drew.

#########

May had exited the interrogation room just as Gary's head lunged forward and smashed into Drew's face. The researcher's hands that gripped Drew's collar were immediately torn away by the green-haired Unovian and Delia. May gasped and ran to her dazed boyfriend while Misty and the dark-skinned Unovian stepped in front of Gary as he was pulled away. She pried her boyfriend's hands away from his face to get a good look and to her relief his nose didn't look broken, though it was bleeding quite heavily. She glared at Gary while rummaging about in her belt pack for tissues. As Cynthia entered the room Drew stood up sharply and spoke to her, though due to him holding his nose his voice came out as a nasally whine.

"Cynthia!" He pointed at the steaming brunette researcher, "This man attacked me! You have to arrest him at once!" Cynthia raised her eyebrow incredulously at the Coordinator, "Mr. Hayden we are not on a first name basis, and why should I waste precious time arresting the grandson of the esteemed Professor Oak when I don't even know who you are?" Drew spluttered indignantly, "You were about to arrest that other guy just for smoking weed! But now arresting him," he pointed at Gary, "is an inconvenience?! What the fuck?!"

May gasped "Drew! You can't speak to the Champion like that!" Drew turned to stare at May in disbelief. "May! You're my girlfriend! You're supposed to side with me!" he yelled. May, in return, glared at him "I'm not going to side with you when you yell demands at the frikkin' Champion of Sinnoh!" Drew huffed in disbelief and anger before turning around and rushing out the door, causing May to sigh wearily, all while Cynthia watched in amusement. The Champion then solemnly glanced down at her feet before gesturing apologetically to everyone in the room, "I am sorry everyone for losing my temper like that, it was unprofessional of me, please forgive me." Everyone nodded accepting her apology.

Cynthia continued, turning to the Unovian duo, "I'm afraid, Ms. Hawthorne and Mr. Stevenson that I must apologise once again to you two as I have all the information I need on Ash Ketchum and no longer need to speak with you. I could have you sent back to Unova in my private jet if you like." She awaited an answer as the two Unovian natives looked at each other briefly before looking back at her, Cilan then spoke politely, "Thank you for your gracious offer Ms. Lawson, but I think we will decline, we would like to stay here in Kanto a little while."

Cynthia nodded before turning to the Maple siblings, "What about you two and the mighty Drew Hayden?" Max chuckled at the blonde's jab at the green haired Coordinator and even May smiled a little; she knew her boyfriend was a bit full of himself. "Would you like to take my jet back to Petalburg?" Cynthia continued. May answered, "No thanks; Drew promised to take me on a cruise to Cinnabar Island and afterwards the Orange Archipelago, but I'm sure my brother would appreciate the offer, right Max?" She looked at her brother who was nodding excitedly, "Yes Ms. Lawson I would love to take your offer!"

Cynthia chuckled at the teenager's enthusiasm before gesturing for everyone to follow her. May and the rest of them followed the blonde Champion out of the Police Station before convening at the steps in front of the entrance. As she glanced about for Drew she was approached by Misty. The red-headed Cerulean native smiled kindly at her, "It's good to see you again May, despite the circumstances. How have you been?" May smiled sadly in response, "It's good to see you too Misty, honestly I haven't been too well, Dawn's death was incredibly hard for me, Brock's as well. At first I hated Ash but now I just feel terrible for blaming him. I should've known better."

May's eyes watered as she mentioned Ash, she felt really guilty about blaming him. Misty, seeing the brunette's tears, brought her into a comforting hug, "Hey now don't cry May, you were angry and looking for someone to blame, it's only natural that you would blame Ash, the only reason I knew he was innocent is because I'm his oldest friend." May pulled back and giggled, "I bet you wish he was more than just your oldest friend though, hmm?" Instead of blushing as May had expected, Misty just smiled sadly and spoke wistfully, "Yeah… I just wished I had at least told him before… before…" As Misty struggled to finish her sentence May realized what she had said. She gasped, "Oh Misty I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

She was cut off by Misty who raised a hand and smiled weakly, "It's fine May, really, well I've got to go, I'd better find Tracey before he mistakes a bench for a toilet again." May giggled and she waved goodbye as the red-head headed off. She was then approached by Delia and she grew a bit nervous; she hoped she wouldn't have to answer for Drew's hurtful comment. Her fears were quelled however as Delia smiled warmly at her.

"Hello May, I was wondering if you and Drew would like to stay at my house for the night since you'll be heading off to Cinnabar tomorrow. I've already spoken to Iris and Cilan and they've accepted. Would you like to come?" May was amazed at this woman's hospitality and generosity, here she was offering her house to her and Drew even after the green-haired Coordinator had offended her! May smiled gratefully at her, "Thank you for your offer Mrs. Ketchum, I think we will accept, I just have to find my moping boyfriend haha!" She giggled.

However May's temporary happiness was crushed by overwhelming guilt as she realized that the only difference between her and Drew before she had spoken to Cynthia was that Drew was brave enough, or stupid enough, to voice his thoughts out loud. And she knew that Mrs. Ketchum knew; that much was obvious when the older woman had avoided her glares in the waiting room before the sessions had started.

If Delia had noticed May's sudden gloom, she didn't show give any indication; she still had that gentle smile that only a mother could own upon her face. "Well I'll leave you to it then, be sure to get there before supper time; I'm making my famous lasagna!" Delia said. May's face brightened considerably; it was well known amongst Ash friends that Mrs. Ketchum's cooking was to die for and her foreign dishes were especially good. "Don't worry Mrs. Ketchum; I'll make sure we'll be there to sample your delicious cooking." Delia smiled her thanks and said "Then it's settled! It'll be nice to have some company around the house."

May nodded with a grin upon her face as the auburn haired mother moved away and walked towards her car with Gary and the two Unovians. She turned around to find her brother standing there with bittersweet smile on his face. "I guess this is goodbye for now" he said tentatively. May smiled and pulled Max into a hug, "Yeah, for now… but I'll be home before you know it!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm glad to see you smiling again sis… maybe now you can catch a better boyfriend than grass head over there." Max teased. May pulled back and glared at her brother playfully before lightly punching his arm. She turned around and saw her boyfriend scowling at Max.

She turned back to Max to finish her farewell. "You stay safe okay, don't do anything rash." She said. Max smiled and said, "You too sis, don't eat Mrs. Ketchum out of house and home!" He laughed and ran away in the direction Cynthia was heading before May could get hit him again. She glared at him before smiling sadly; this would be the first time she and her brother would be separated since Dawn and Brock had died.

Max had been so supportive during the whole thing despite his own suffering. She hadn't realized the extent of her brother's selflessness until his little speech about Ash in the interrogation room; it was then that May had realised that Max was feeling the same pain as her, and she had selfishly wasted his support and comfort on thoughts of hate towards Ash and her own thoughts of pain.

May's gloomy thoughts were interrupted as Drew walked up and stood next to her awkwardly. She glanced at him with the corner of her eye, "Something to say Drew?" she said frostily; she was unhappy with his demand for her support against Cynthia when he had failed to provide the exact same thing against the exact same person when said person was threatening to arrest Tracey. Drew, however, replied just as coldly, "No." May sighed and looked away; she was going to have to work on her boyfriend's arrogance.

"Well Mrs. Ketchum invited us to stay at hers for the night and I accepted, so let's hit the road; it's at least an hour to Pallet Town." May said in a no nonsense tone. Drew frowned at her, "I thought you hated Ash." May sighed, "I did, but then I remembered who he was and what he's done for me." She said vaguely. Drew shook his head lightly and began muttering under his breath. May ignored him as she headed towards the car park and their rental car.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Close to Shamouti Island; 02/04/2013:_**

Bruno groaned as he finished heaving into the bowl in front of him, his massive hands that were gripping onto the rim slipped off as he rolled over onto his back next to the toilet. He panted while stared at the bright lights above him. He heard a giggle and weakly lifted his head to see the source. His wonderful and supporting girlfriend had her hand over her mouth trying to stifle her laughter as she watched him suffer. "The great and mighty Bruno, he who outwrestled an onix, he who fought a machamp with his bare fists and won, brought to his knees by the gentle waves of sea!" Tears leaked from her eyes as she began laughing uncontrollably.

Bruno growled, "Woman, you are evil. There's nothing gentle about this!" Jenny glanced at the porthole window… the sea was flat… She continued chuckling, "How is it that you can remain standing on a crumbling mountain during an onix's Earthquake but that," she gestured out the window, "is too much for you?" she asked incredulously. Bruno replied with a question, "How is it that you're still standing there mocking me and not helping me!" he said grumpily. He groaned as he felt his stomach rising again and clambered his way back up to the toilet. After he finished retching he returned to previous position on the floor and muttered hoarsely, "Why couldn't we just take a bloody plane? Why? Why? Why?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, "For the hundredth time, Shamouti doesn't have an airport!" she shouted. Bruno groaned, "What primitive people must live on this island that they don't have an airport?" he groaned in agony. Jenny snorted, "That's rich coming from a man who spends most of his time in a hut on a mountain wearing a karate outfit!" Bruno glared at her and made a shooing motion with his hand, "Go away and let me die in peace woman!" Jenny playfully glared at him before cracking up into a smile; she knew he was just teasing her, he would never seriously talk to her in that manner and if he ever did, well she would make sure that he would eat his words.

After informing Cynthia of what Blue had told them and Bruno's plan to recruit the Legendaries the day before, the two had immediately left for Pallet Town to catch the fastest ferry to Shamouti Island. Bruno had paid the captain a handsome sum of money to get them there as fast as possible, hence why they were already at the island less than 24 hours since their departure from Pallet.

The policewoman eventually stopped reveling at her boyfriend's pain before heading over to clean him up and get him ready to move; they were almost at the island. "Come on you, we're almost there, according to the G-Men reports of what happened here 6 years ago, a girl called Melody and a boy called 'the Chosen One' saw Lugia when the Legendary Bird Trio went crazy. We should ask the locals where to find her and then question her on how to speak to Lugia." Bruno sighed but nodded; he knew how important this was, besides it was his idea in the first place. "Alright, I think I'm fine now, let's g-" The giant promptly sat up and retched into the bowl again. Jenny sighed.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Pallet Town; Professor Oak's Lab; 02/04/2013:_**

Gary sighed as he hung up his coat by the door and made his way to the bathroom. During the trip back from Viridian he had not said a single word while Mrs. Ketchum and that weird Connoisseur made small talk. The black girl hadn't said much either, were it any other time he might have attempted to make a move on her, he had never bedded a black girl before. But even he had his morals; he couldn't take advantage of her when she was so obviously suffering. Besides, he wasn't exactly in the mood either.

As he entered the bathroom and switched on the light, he glanced at the mirror to find dried blood and slight bruising on his forehead. He reached up to lightly touch the purple area and winced, he then turned the tap on in the shower, undressed himself and stepped in. The water poured down his face, washing the blood away and running into his eyes and down his cheeks, and when the tears started rolling down his face, the water washed them away as well. He turned off the water but the tears continued as he began sobbing.

The reason he had gotten so angry at Drew was because the Coordinator reminded the researcher of himself. The way Drew had spoken ill of Ash reminded Gary yet again of how he used to bully Ash before they left on their respective journeys, and how he used to believe that he was superior to the brash raven head in every way. It was all because of his stupid parents! Why had they abandoned him? Why had they left him all alone? Sure he had his grandfather but he was a very busy man, he hardly had time to look after a child, though Gary knew the old man had tried his best.

The tears became stronger at the thought that his grandfather still would not tell him what had happened to his parents. Seeing Delia's compassion for her son time and time again as he was growing up had really broken him down, and he became so jealous of the raven head, so jealous that the only way to deal with the pain was to make himself believe that he was superior to Ash _because_ he had no parents, _because_ no one had time for him, _because_ he was the grandson of the famous Professor and Ash was just the son of a farm girl.

And after the Silver Conference, when Gary realised that one didn't inherit social standing, they earned it, it tore at him even worse despite his happy façade. And as the years passed and Gary watched from the sidelines how Ash grew up and became the great Trainer and friend he was today, the guilt formed but the jealousy remained as Gary realised that the only reason Ash was as great a person as he was, was because of his diligent mother. How would have Gary turned out had he had a mother to care for him as Delia did for Ash?

And Gary knew that his grandfather knew that it was tearing him apart, so why did he still refuse to tell the young researcher about his parents? Why wasn't he allowed to know why no one had ever told him a bedtime story? Why no one had ever sung him to sleep on a cold, dark, stormy night? Why wasn't he allowed to know what was so wrong with him that even his mother abandoned him? What could possibly be gained by keeping the truth from him?

When the clock struck midnight the young researcher was still in the cubicle, his long since dry naked form seated on the cold tiled floor with his head buried in arms resting crossed on his knees. His body trembled as wept for the childhood that he never had. He mourned for the mother he had never known, for the father he had never idolized, for the man he could have been.

Gary had wondered what could be gained by keeping the truth of parents from him, but he never paused to wonder could be prevented by doing so.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Pallet Town; Ketchum Household; 02/04/2013:_**

Delia opened the door to find May and Drew standing on her porch and she smiled brightly. "Hello Mrs. Ketchum!" May said politely behind gritted teeth while nudging her boyfriend roughly in the ribs. Drew scowled at the brunette but spoke anyway, "Hello Ma'am."

Delia smiled at the exchange and spread her arms out wide, "Welcome! Please come in and make yourself at home, I'm almost done cooking and will be ready to serve in about 15 minutes. And please May dear, call me Delia." As she ushered them in she subconsciously ignored Drew and focused on May, but one could hardly blame her for that, Drew hadn't said very pleasant things about her missing son after all.

Delia had prepared herself for the snobbish Coordinator; she knew that he was an unpleasant person, honestly she couldn't see what a dear girl like May could see in him, but she decided to be polite to him and keep her patience in check for the evening. Little did she know just how much her substantial patience was going to be tested that night.

She asked her new guests what they wanted to drink as they settled down on the couch next to Iris and Cilan and as she left to go fetch their beverages she could see May and Iris already settling into a comfortable conversation, while Cilan politely attempted to speak to Drew, but the Coordinator seemed pretty unresponsive. As she returned to the dining room she saw that the Unovian Connoisseur had seemingly given up on talking to Drew and was now sitting with his fellow Unovian and her companion, talking lightheartedly with them. Drew however was slumped on the single couch and was staring at the phone in his hands. Delia frowned, where did he get his manners?

As she handed out the drinks on the tray she held, she noticed that her Mr. Mime wasn't anywhere to be seen. She glanced around the room and found him standing by the window staring out into the garden. The Barrier Pokémon didn't make a noise, he didn't move, he just stood there and stared with a disturbingly empty gaze. Delia frowned, this was very strange behavior for the usually chirpy and obedient Pokémon, but she wrote it off as discomfort from having so many unknown guests in the house and returned to her task of handing out the drinks.

She noticed that May kept glancing at her boyfriend, at which point her smile drooped slightly before returning as she turned back to the Unovian natives. Delia then moved to Drew to hand him his drink, which was simple earl gray tea with a drop of milk, as he had asked. The Coordinator grabbed the cup, took a sip and grimaced before placing it back on the tray, "Not enough milk" nonchalantly, as if she were his waitress and not his host.

As Delia recoiled slightly, she noticed Iris choking on her words and Cilan frowning heavily. May's face reddened, not with embarrassment but with anger, "Drew! Don't be so rude!" May yelled at him. Drew's head snapped towards her and Delia, who could see an argument brewing, spoke quickly, "It's fine May, I'll just make another cup, it's not a problem." She breathed a sigh of relief as the Hoenn couple seemed to calm down, albeit reluctantly.

But that was not to be the last of the green-haired Coordinator's disrespect that evening. As Delia ushered everyone to the dining room and presented her starter meal, a delicacy from a far off region called Kalos that was called 'Garlic Bread', followed by the main course which was lasagna, a famous recipe from Alto Mare City, followed by Crème Brulee, another dish from Kalos, Drew had complained that he didn't want 'weird foreign food' and then when he discovered that there were no burger joints in Pallet Town, he settled for eating a pack of crisps. Such obnoxiousness continued and by evening's end Delia's eye was twitching, Iris' hands clutched her legs as she imagined them around Drew's neck, Cilan had a perpetual frown on his face and May had her head in her hands.

Delia sighed and glanced at Iris, catching her attention before gesturing to May. Iris understood and stood up before walking over to May and speaking, "Hey May, would you like to show me your Pokémon?" May glanced up with watery eyes and smiled weakly at the Dragon Tamer. "Sure Iris." The two headed out the sliding door to the garden.

Delia then turned to Cilan, "Would you mind helping me set up bedding for everyone Cilan?" Cilan stood up and smiled politely, "Of course Mrs. Ketchum, just tell me where to put them." Delia smiled gratefully, "Well there is a bunk bed in Ash's bedroom, I think the girls can have them. You can take the guest room Cilan, and as for you Drew," Drew looked up from his phone when he heard his name mentioned, "I'll put a mattress out in the living room for you." Drew shrugged before returning his attention to his phone.

As Delia walked out the room and to a cupboard with Cilan following her, she noticed that Mimey still hadn't moved from his spot at the window and frowned again before returning her attention to the task at hand. She opened the cupboard and grabbed a few duvets and pillows and their covers. She then noticed Cilan pulling out a nice, smooth and thick mattress. She stopped him before winking and smiling wickedly at him and reaching deep into the cupboard to find the thinnest, scruffiest and lumpiest mattress the Connoisseur had ever seen. She handed the 'mattress' to Cilan before reaching back in and pulling out a thick woolen blanket that could give one a rash just from looking at it.

Cilan returned her wicked smile before grabbing Drew's 'bedding' and carrying it to the living room where he set it on the floor. Drew walked out of the dining room and Cilan snickered when he saw the Coordinator's expression of horror.

#########

The two women sat on the bench and watched the incredible view as the sun set over the rolling hills of Pallet Town. There was something calming about the sunset and both girls felt as if all their troubles were gently drifting away. They made no sound as they listened to the bird Pokémon chirping as they settled down for the night, the gentle sound of Delia humming as she washed the dishes in the kitchen, the distant noises of farm animals; the neighing of ponyta and rapidash and the mooing of miltank.

May sighed peacefully, "I always love coming to Pallet Town, there's something so calming about the simple life the people have here. There's no Tournaments or Contests or Competitions, there's little crime and violence and the Pokémon are used for normal chores rather than battling." Iris hummed her approval, "This place really is very beautiful, Ash was lucky to grow up here." May nodded happily and then glanced at the window to the living room, wanting to make sure that Mrs. Ketchum or Cilan wasn't strangling her boyfriend. However what she saw was Delia's Mr. Mime still standing at the window looking directly at them with a completely empty stare. He didn't move and he eventually began to grow on the brunette's nerves, it was actually kind of creepy the way he just stood and stared at them.

May looked away before her nerves got the better of her and focused instead on her new friend sitting next to her. The two began to talk about themselves getting to know each other better before Iris jumped up and exclaimed, "Enough chit-chat! I came out here to see your Pokémon!" May giggled and stood up as well. She then grabbed all the PokéBalls on her waist and released them.

First to come out was a large butterfly that had a white and black body, black, red, yellow and blue wings, huge blue eyes, two black antennae and a large curled black proboscis. The next Pokémon was a light blue foxlike mammal with long, pointed ears, dark eyes and two dark blue, rhombus-shaped markings on its back. Atop its head appeared to be some sort of tuque.

Then came out a huge blue tortoise with two huge cannons coming out of its back and a large dark green quadruped prehistoric herbivore-like Pokémon with a huge flower growing out of its back. Next was a huge fat bear with a white belly and face, the rest of its body was a dark blue-green colour and it had huge claws growing out of it paws.

Last but definitely not least was a bipedal red Pokémon with beige, yellow and gray accents. Behind its head, there were beige, hair-like feathers that continued downward and surrounded its chest and abdomen. It had a V-shaped crest upon its small red face that protruded out into a vicious hooked beak. It had shaggy legs that hid claws similar to those on its three-fingered hands. The Pokémon were Beautifly, Glaceon, Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax and Blaziken respectively.

"Wow May! They look so powerful!" May smirked proudly, "Well what did you expect from the greatest Coordinator in the world?" she said boastfully. Iris laughed, "Oh May, you little kid! You sound just like Ash!" May giggled before she noticed Blaziken, which was arguably May's strongest Pokémon, looking very alert. The Blaze Pokémon's wrists were ablaze and her head swung around quickly with large irises. May knew that that meant they weren't alone.

"What is it Blaziken?" she asked carefully so as not to spook her Pokémon. Blaziken suddenly locked eyes onto the Mr. Mime standing at the window and started growling. The Barrier Pokémon suddenly blinked before disappearing. May and Iris gasped and the former turned to the latter, "That was weird, Mr. Mime can't learn Teleport can they?" she asked. Iris nodded, "By TM they can, we'll have to ask Delia whether she taught that one it." May nodded and turned back to her Blaziken, who it seemed had calmed down considerably, and returned it before returning all the others and heading inside with Iris.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Gym; 02/03/2013:_**

Blue had his feet rested on the desk as he leaned back and puffed on his cigar, sending smoke rings into the air above him. He held a glass of whiskey in his hand and every now and then he removed his cigar to take a sip. Overall he felt very powerful, like Don Corleone or Tony Soprano, and he smirked. However that was all ruined when Alakazam suddenly appeared in front of him causing him to inhale his cigar smoke, choke and drop his whiskey. As a human's natural reaction was to lean away from a sudden threat he did so, unfortunately his chair could only handle so much leaning backwards. The legs slipped and the powerful Team Rocket Boss rolled backwards across the floor as the chair fell.

He stood up and glared murderously at his Pokémon who stared back impassively. "Care to explain what you're doing here, both at the wrong time and without the package?" Blue asked dangerously. Alakazam did not react but suddenly a series of images onslaught the Boss' mind. He saw a brunette woman, a black woman, two green haired men and a bunch of the brunette's Pokémon. The images stopped and Blue sighed, it seemed that things had gotten a bit more complicated.

He had recognized the Hoenn couple as two successful Coordinators but that's all they were: Coordinators. None of their Pokémon would be a match for his, even if they all attacked simultaneously, he was once a Champion after all; his Pokémon were ruthlessly strong. It was the other green haired man that had him worried. Blue had learned long ago never to underestimate a Gym Leader and while he knew that Alakazam could take on the Gym Leader's Pokémon alone, he also knew Alakazam would struggle if all of them were to release all their Pokémon.

Blue sighed again and unclipped a PokéBall before tossing to Alakazam, "Here take Machamp, the two of you should be able to deal with this." Alakazam caught the PokéBall not with his hand but rather his psychic mind before disappearing. As Alakazam teleported away Blue wondered about the black woman he had seen. He shrugged, if he didn't know who she was then she probably wasn't important or strong.

What a foolish assumption.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Pallet Town; Ketchum Household; 02/04/2013:_**

There was only a quarter of an hour until midnight and May was still awake. She wished that Mrs. Ketchum had let her sleep in the guest room but the kindly mother had insisted that the beds in Ash's room were far more comfortable and easier to sleep in and that she couldn't let the ladies have anything less than the best she had to offer. But the problem wasn't that the bed was uncomfortable, it was that she was sleeping in Ash Ketchum's room.

Everywhere she looked there was some reminder of Ash or some item of his. His desk was cluttered with framed photos of all his travelling companions, including one of herself with Ash, her brother and Brock. On his laptop was a sticker of every one of the Pokémon he had caught with Pikachu in the middle. On the windowsill there was a neatly ordered row of all his caps, including the red one with a dark center and green PokéBall logo in the middle.

Even the damn bed sheets smelt of the raven haired trainer, a natural earthen and herbal smell that often permeates the air after a long day of rain. She clutched her sheets and brought them up to her nose to smell once again. While travelling in Hoenn she had eventually grown a small crush on the handsome raven head, but that was only natural, had she been travelling with any other cute and friendly boy she would have likely crushed on them as well. So as her crush faded and she became more mature she had set her sights on more mature boys and one that was preferably a Coordinator, which was how she became besotted with the arrogant and rude Drew Hayden.

May sighed, she was very upset at Drew's behavior throughout the whole evening but deep down, she knew that she wasn't surprised. She realised she had ignored the age old adage: "Look not at how he treats you but rather at how he treats others, for with time that is how he will treat you." She had fallen for his charms and thought it was sweet at how he treated only her nicely, but now she realized that he wasn't sweet at all, he was just a spoilt, arrogant and rude brat. Was there any chance for him?

But even her love troubles weren't as distressing as the guilt she felt lying in the bed of a man she had betrayed. She could feel the tears coming up again and quickly swung out of the bed to head to the bathroom. She was stopped by Iris' voice, "Can't sleep either?" She turned to look at the dark-skinned beauty lying on the top bunk and smiled weakly, "Yeah, there's just too many reminders of him in here." Iris jumped down, "Same here, I just miss that little kid so much." She said with a sad smile.

"I'm going to get a glass of water, wanna come?" Iris asked as she jumped down. May nodded and followed the Unovian woman down the stairs to the kitchen. They saw Drew, who had somehow fallen asleep on that horrible mattress, and May frowned. Iris saw the brunette's expression but remained silent; she knew that May could sort out her own boy troubles.

As they approached the kitchen they heard a soft humming and sniffling, they glanced through the archway to see Delia sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a framed photo in her hands with tears streaming down her face as she hummed a simple yet somehow hopeless tune. Eventually the mourning mother opened her mouth and began to sing with a soft, quivering voice:

"Be still my son, you're home  
>Oh when did you become so cold?<br>The blade will keep on descending  
>All you need is to feel my love…"<p>

She looked as though she wanted to sing more but choked with sadness. The two girls shared a sad look before making themselves visible, "Are you alright Mrs. Ketchum?" May asked gently as she approached the grieving woman. Delia lifted her head to see the two girls approaching and tried to summon a smile but failed, "I just miss him so much!" she said as she burst into more tears. May moved over and hugged the weeping woman from behind while Iris watched sadly.

May glanced at the picture Delia was holding and saw Ash as toddler in the cutest pajamas. The little boy had his hand behind his head as he laughed happily. May's eyes watered as she saw the picture; it was just so… Ash-like and it reminded her of her adventures with raven haired boy in Hoenn. It reminded her of how important Ash was to her and as her love and respect for him rose once again, so too did her overwhelming guilt. She saw Iris pour herself a glass of water and head back upstairs and May knew that the dark-skinned girl could tell she and Ash's mother needed some alone time.

May gently let go of Delia as the auburn haired mother's sobs subsided and sat down opposite her before grabbing her hands with her own. "Mrs. Ketchum I need to apologise to you, when I saw what happened in Sinnoh all I could think of was that Dawn and Brock were dead. I don't know if you know this but me and Dawn had grown very close and we were the best of friends, I deeply cared for her and I became so angry that she was dead. I forgot all that your son had taught me, I forgot how much your son had done for me, I forgot how much I owed your son for helping me become the person I am today…" May choked off as tears rose unbidden, she tried to continue but her guilt and pain had seized her throat and tongue.

Delia, whose throat was thick with pride at how her beautiful baby boy had touched this girl's life, wiped away her tears and squeezed the brunette's hands with a soft smile, encouraging her to go on. May burst into more tears when she saw this incredible woman's generosity. "I became so blinded by my anger that I blamed the last person on earth I should be blaming. I blamed your son. And I hate myself for it, I know I can never forgive myself but I hope... I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

May cried and fell to her knees next to older woman, "Please Mrs. Ketchum! Please forgive me!" she cried over and over again. Delia pulled the weeping girl up into a fierce hug. She stroked the girl's hair and whispered soothingly into her ear, "Of course I forgive you, I forgave you before you even knew Ash was innocent." She continued, "But you need to forgive yourself dear, you are one of the sweetest, kindest and bravest people I have ever met and you don't deserve to beat yourself up over an assumption that anyone could make."

May's cries subsided and Delia pulled back only to lean forward and kiss the girl gently on the forehead, "Can you do that for me? Can you forgive yourself?" May smiled weakly and nodded while sniffing. Delia beamed, "And please, May, call me Delia." May's smile grew and they remained silent for a while as their tears and despair subsided.

May, wanting a change of mood, decided to ask Delia what she had discussed with Iris earlier, "Delia, did you teach your Mr. Mime Teleport?" Delia frowned and shook her head, "No, why do you ask?" May, who was quite alarmed by the news, was about to explain when the grandfather clock in the living room chimed midnight. Suddenly a grunt and loud crash echoed through the house.

The two frowned at each other before rushing into the living room. There they found Drew plastered against one of the walls by some invisible force and in the centre of the room, floating a couple of feet above the coffee table with its legs folded, was a humanoid being with a long, thin snout and two long spikes for ears. It had a yellow skeletal body and brown armoured plates that covered its chest, shoulders, forearms and. It had three digits on each hand and foot and a huge drooping moustache. Its hands were clasped together as if it was praying and orbiting its body were two silver spoons.

Suddenly the beast separated its hands and the two spoons shot towards them. He curled his fists around them until he gripped them strongly, before he slowly descended as his legs unfolded. As soon as his feet touched the surface of the wooden table he slowly opened his eyes. Wisps of blue ether drifted away from his ethereal blue eyes, fixed in an empty stare, before eventually evaporating.

The beast suddenly pushed his hands out and towards the two women and an invisible shockwave flung them against the wall behind them. Before they could drop to the floor the beast opened his hands, causing the spoons to float away eerily, before they began to glow with the same ethereal blue that enveloped his empty eyes. The two women became encased in the same blue and they found that they were frozen in place.

There was a sudden thudding from the stairs and Cilan arrived at the scene. As soon he saw what was happening he unclipped a PokéBall and shouted, "Whimsicott, use Shadow Ball!" But before he could complete his throw his wrist was grabbed by a huge muscly hand. The Unovian Gym Leader looked to the hand's source and found a huge, four-armed, gray skinned, heavily muscled figure wearing a pair of legless wrestling pants. The machamp gripped his wrist with its upper right hand and grinned evilly before squeezing hard, causing Cilan's hands to clench and the PokéBall to slip out of his grasp. Machamp caught the PokéBall with his lower right hand but his evil sneer remained focused on Cilan.

Then, with a horrible, cruel laugh, it slowly crushed the ball, killing the Pokémon within.

"NO!" Cilan screamed hoarsely as he tried to collapse and fall to the floor but Machamp yanked him up by the wrist it was holding. It dropped the remains of the PokéBall and then grabbed Cilan's shoulders with its two upper hands and lifted him effortlessly into the air, exposing his stomach to the beast. May, Delia and Drew watched in horror as Machamp, with its two lower fists, began pulverizing the Unovian's chest and stomach. Cilan screamed as his body shook as countless blows were rained upon it, causing blood to spray from his mouth. The beast then grabbed his head with one of its huge hands before spinning him around and releasing him as if he were a discus.

Cilan smashed through the window before landing and rolling across the garden as several shards of glass lacerated his body. He came to a still before lapsing into unconsciousness. All the while the alakazam remained where he was and continued staring expressionlessly at May and Delia with that cold, empty stare. The Hoenn girl began crying and her sobs caught the attention of the multiple limbed beast, who lumbered over and grabbed the girl by the throat with its upper right hand, pulling her away from Alakazam's otherworldly grasp, and proceeded to give her the same treatment as it had Cilan. However it had only gotten one punch in, which was enough to wind May, when a feminine voice was suddenly heard.

#########

"Haxorus, Dragon Tail!" A large, gold-plated, black-skinned, wingless dragon with vicious red claws and red tipped sickled tusks shot out from the stairwell, where Iris was standing with an angry expression on her face, before flipping and slamming its glowing green tail onto the arm that was holding May. Machamp roared in pain and dropped the heaving girl before turning to face the new intruder. Haxorus growled viciously and was about to launch himself at the beast before he noticed Alakazam grabbing his spoons and swiping them horizontally, causing a huge purple scythe to shoot out towards him.

Luckily Iris saw it too and issued her next command, "Grab Machamp and then use Fling at Alakazam." Haxorus grinned before lunging forward and grabbing Machamp with claws glowing with the power of Dark energy before the beast could react. He then spun around and tossed the machamp, not unlike it had done to Cilan moments before, directly towards the incoming Psycho Cut. The beast intercepted the super effective psychic move, causing it to dissipate and a huge gash to open up across Machamp's body, before it slammed into Alakazam, crushing the coffee table, and fell unconscious. Iris, having killed two pidgeys with one stone, ordered Haxorus to use Shadow Claw on the Psi Pokémon, who was already weakened both by the Dark-typed Fling and the sheer mass of the 130 kg Superpower Pokémon.

Haxorus leapt towards Alakazam with a huge black and purple claw sheathing its ordinary claw and slashed across Alakazam's face, causing three diagonal scars to appear. The Alakazam made no noise however, Iris wasn't quite sure if alakazams _could_ make noise, and weakly stood up before procuring a PokéBall and recalling the fallen Machamp. Then it disappeared, leaving nothing but the haunting memory of its empty stare.

Drew and Delia fell to the floor as soon as the Pokémon disappeared, the psychic power no longer present, before rushing over to the winded May. Iris recalled Haxorus before rushing over to the broken window, leaping over the sill and sprinting towards the fallen Connoisseur. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his chest rise and fall, however, her joy was short-lived when she saw blood dripping from his mouth. He had internal bleeding!

She turned to Delia who had made her way outside with Drew, who was supporting May, "Mrs. Ketchum, where's the nearest hospital? Cilan needs help!" Delia sighed, "In Viridian City, but it's at least an hour drive there." Iris unclipped another PokéBall before releasing a black, blue and purple three-headed dragon with empty eye sockets. She spoke to it as she lifted Cilan onto its back and then climbed up to sit just in front of its wings. "Hydreigon, we to head north as fast as possible, I'll tell you when to stop." She then turned towards the others, "I'll meet you guys at the hospital, and I'm sorry for the mess Mrs. Ketchum." she said before the dragon took off.

#########

Delia turned to May and Drew, who were both in shock and resting on each other for support. She spoke gently, "How about you two change into proper clothes, I'll clean up all this mess," she gestured to the glass shards and broken coffee table, "and then we can head off Viridian, okay?" The two nodded dumbly before heading inside and upstairs. Delia sighed before walking over to the cupboard which contained the dustpan and brush. She opened the cupboard door and then fell to her knees screaming.

May, who had just finished putting her shirt on, heard Delia scream and quickly rushed out of Ash's room, catching up to Drew as they both rushed down the stairs. They found Delia on the floor by a cupboard crying and sobbing. May glanced into the cupboard before turning around and throwing up on the floor. Drew had a similar reaction.

For in the cupboard lay a Mr. Mime, eyes open and unblinking in an empty stare, one of the blue growths on its head ripped off and shoved down its throat.

* * *

><p><strong>So there it is, I'm sure you guys have realised by now that this is a dark story, and it will only get darker.<br>Speaking of dark stories, you have to check out Redenzione's 'Pokemon Summit'. It's an excellent PokeShipping story by an excellent author.**

**Changes:**

**-Drew's jerkiness had been dialed down a lot, again to make it more realistic.**

**-A new very important scene with Gary, found between the scene with Bruno and Jenny on the boat and May and Drew arriving in Pallet. Just press Ctrl+F and type in '_Pallet Town; Professor Oak's Lab; 02/04/2013:' _to find it. Please read it as it is very important.**

**If you are confused about something, or you want to ask me something, please feel free to PM me and I will try my best to reply without giving away spoilers unless you want them.**

**-SwallowtheSun**


	4. Chapter 4: Wind Torn

**Hello again,**

**If you've already read this chapter and are wondering what has changed in my rewrite of this, please refer to the author's note at the end.**

**There is another torture scene in this chapter as well something that could be considered controversial. I have left an author's note stating when the torture scene begins and when it ends if you don't want to read it you can skip it. It's not all that gory but it is highly implicative.**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Wind Torn<strong>

**_Somewhere; Somewhen:_**

She had always loved the water; its essence of malleability, its power of erosion, its soothing touch to the body and the sounds that it made; the babbling of a brook; the trickling of a stream; the splashing of a ford; the silence of a fjord and even the roaring of a waterfall. But the sound she loved the most was that of the ocean lapping against the sundrenched shores upon which she stood.

"Mama!" her musing was interrupted by the sound of her daughter calling out to her as the little girl rushed to her mother. The woman turned around and smiled brilliantly at her daughter before rushing forward, scooping the little girl up and spinning her around while they both giggled. She brought her daughter's face to hers and nuzzled her nose as the little girl shrieked in laughter. She then heard a masculine chuckle that always set her blood racing. "She couldn't wait to see you; it sounds like she had a good first day."

The mother turned around still holding her daughter in her arms to see her husband strolling towards to her with a huge smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around his two girls before kissing both of them on the cheek while they giggled. "Come on let's go inside," he said, "I have something to show you."

The mother sighed happily; every year her husband always bought her some ridiculously expensive gift despite her protests, she wondered what he had gotten her this time. The trio walked away from the beach and onto the wooden walkway that led to their house. It was a quaint little cottage that was cozy and fresh. Although they certainly had no shortage of money, they had both wanted a simple house by the sea, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the sounds of the ocean and far away from civilisation.

They entered the house and made their way to the living room. As she entered the room she heard several people yelling, "Happy Birthday Misty!" She gasped as she saw all the familiar faces scattered around the room. She saw her sisters, as beautiful as ever and all smiling proudly at their little sister. She saw May and her brother Max, the former with her arm around her husband Drew. She saw Iris and Cilan; she didn't know them as well as May and Max but over the years she had become good friends with them. She saw Professor Oak and his grandson, who was wiggling his eyebrows at her husband for some reason.

Lastly she saw Brock, Dawn and her mother-in-law in the centre of the room, all of them beaming at her. Tears pricked her eyes and her throat thickened as she saw all of the people who loved her gathered in her living room, wishing her a happy birthday. Finally the person that loved her the most moved towards her, holding their raven-haired daughter, before stopping in front of her. He leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the lips before whispering, "Happy Birthday Misty Ketchum" in her ear.

The tears flowed as she looked around at her all her friends in her beautiful house. She gazed at her husband and beautiful daughter. She sighed happily; this is how it was supposed to be.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Airport; 02/03/2013:_**

It was almost 11 PM and Cynthia and Max were still seated in the hangar next to a small airstrip where they had been since leaving the Station. It appeared that someone had sabotaged the fuel tank of Cynthia's private jet which was no easy feat considering the G-Men Custodians guarding the perimeter of the airstrip.

The G-Men Custodians, or just Custodians for short, were the most elite special services force in the world, consisting of stealthy and vicious warriors from the frozen mountains in the north of Sinnoh, dark-skinned khukuri wielding Ghurkas from the slopes of Mt. Silver, specially trained Marines from both Hoenn and Unova, and Berets Verts, the Kalosian Naval Commandos. The toughest of the toughest from each region sent to Indigo Plateau to work together for the G-Men. The blonde Champion was quite worried about who was skilled enough to slip past the Custodians, but she had more important things to worry about.

Mechanics were still fixing the plane up, and then they had to refill it, which took no small amount of time. The blonde woman sighed for the umpteenth time as she re-crossed her legs the other way and leaned further back into the couch she was seated on in the office in the hangar.

She looked next to her and her irritated expression softened a little; head resting on her shoulder and fast asleep was Max Maple, the fifteen year old Hoenn native and past travelling companion of Ash Ketchum; currently the most hated man in the world. After she and Max had left the Station she had decided to pass the time by getting to know the young Pokémon Trainer, she admired the way he had stood up to her when she was arresting Tracey. So she took him out to the nearest café and bought him a big lunch. While doing so she could also get his opinion on the rest of Ash's travelling companions and see if they all could be trusted.

Unfortunately Max could only really talk about his sister, Brock, Dawn and Misty as he had never met the Unovian couple before and had only briefly seen the others from time to time. But she could tell May was innocent from her breakdown after Max's speech, and no one could fake the mourning that Misty was going through. Obviously Brock and Dawn were irrelevant and as for the Unovian couple, Cynthia slightly regretted not interviewing them but her gut told her that they were innocent as well and her gut had never let her down before.

But who her gut was warning her about and who she had really wanted information about was Gary, his grandfather and Delia; she didn't think they had anything to do with the Colossus or Lance's death, but she knew that they were still withholding information about Red. After she had cooled down sufficiently she had though back on what Gary told her about Red and found a flaw in his story; why on Earth did Red mail his suicide note to Delia Ketchum of all people? And how? The thought that perhaps Red was Delia's husband and Ash's father had crossed her mind, especially considering the similarities between him and Ash, but if that was the case, she needed confirmation, and she could only get that from Delia.

But all she had learnt from Max was that Gary was a researcher and a womanizer, as if she didn't already know that, which was why she had decided that she was staying in Kanto, to interrogate the Pallet trio. But she needed to make sure that Max safely boarded her jet before she could head back to Pallet Town, which was why she was still here in Viridian City.

Her musing was interrupted by a knock on the office door before a mechanic strode in, "Your jet is ready ma'am" he said politely. She nodded and shook Max's shoulder to wake him. He grumbled a bit before realizing that his head was resting on the Champion of Sinnoh's shoulder, at which point he jumped back and blushed heavily. "I-I'm sorry Cynthia-I mean Ms. Lawson!" Cynthia let out peal of laughter that was music to the teenager's ears.

"Oh Max," Cynthia said while giggling, "We know each other well enough to call each other by our names, and don't worry about your head on my shoulder, it's fine." Max blushed even darker before chuckling nervously. Cynthia smiled at him, comforting him, "Well it's time to go; the jet is ready and it's almost midnight." Max smiled back and nodded, signaling that he was ready.

As the two walked out of the office Cynthia realized that, despite the very short time they had spent together, she had grown a little fond of the young teenager walking next to her. He had the same determination she had seen in many of today's Elites when they were just ordinary Trainers, the determination she herself had when she was younger, the determination to be the best that Ash had radiated. In fact in Max she could see another Ash; the Maple boy reminded her of when she had first met Ash in Sinnoh, a young, cocky and headstrong teenager who loved his Pokémon.

Although Max had told her about how Ash had influenced both him and his sister during his speech in the interrogation room it was only when she had spoken with him afterwards when they were alone that she realized for herself just how much the raven haired Pokémon Trainer had affected this young kid's life. The kid was a miniature Ash.

When talking to him in the café earlier she had managed to get the Hoenn boy open up to her. The kid was very smart for his age; he read a lot of books, watched a lot of knowledge shows and even listened to documentary podcasts when he had the time. His parents often teased him, saying how he was far too smart for his own good, far wiser beyond his years than he should be. His sister often teased him for growing up too fast and for being so mature.

But Cynthia could see that he was still just a 15 year old boy. He had probably never kissed a girl, never taken a sip of alcohol, never sat behind the wheel of car. And even despite recent events he was still so, so innocent. He'd never witnessed death; sure he'd seen the Lily of the Valley Final on the television but the cameras had been destroyed by the white light before anyone had actually died. To him death was still something that happened to people far away, and never anyone close to him. She hoped to Arceus that he wouldn't be forced to grow up too fast and forsake the childhood that he still lingered on the border of.

The two eventually reached the ivory black jet, where they stopped just before the steps. The tall blonde woman turned to the shorter blunette boy and smiled at him. "So this is where we part ways Max, what are you going to do when you get to Hoenn?" Max smiled, "I'll probably continue my journey, perhaps I'll go to this Kalos you spoke of afterwards. Those Mega-Pokémon sound really cool!" Cynthia frowned slightly, "So soon? You sure you shouldn't take some time off? Clear your head?"

"Nah, if there was any way to honour Ash, whatever his fate is, it would be to continue striving to be the best I can be. It's what he would have liked, I want to make him proud of me." Cynthia noticed that the boy's eyes had misted and his voice had thickened. "If we meet again someday, I want to fulfil my promise and battle him, and I want to give him such a good battle that neither of us would ever forget it."

Cynthia smiled; she could understand that, as a Pokémon Trainer, the greatest respect you could show a fellow Trainer was to battle your heart out against them, no matter the outcome. The bonding process of a Pokémon battle was lost on too many Trainers nowadays, but there were always those who cherished the Pokémon battle because of that bond, like Ash, Max and herself.

She clasped the boy on the shoulder with one hand and fished out a PokéBall with the other. She saw Max's eyes widen as he recognized the Ball he was handed. It had black top with a yellow 'u' shape and it was not a new Ball. It was riddled with scratches and burns but most importantly, it contained the Sinnoh Champion's famous ace Pokémon: the garchomp that had never been witnessed to lose a battle.

"I have never been attacked on my jet before but I always make sure my Garchomp is handy, just in case. In the very very _very_ unlikely event that someone is stupid enough to attack you on my jet, and my Custodian escort isn't enough to protect you, which he certainly is, Garchomp will be able to deal with it, his undefeated status isn't just a rumour after all." Cynthia said to the young Maple boy. Max nodded dumbfounded as he accepted the Ultra Ball from Cynthia, "Th-thanks Cynthia!" he stuttered before pocketing the ball.

She nodded before gesturing to the man who stood at the top of the steps leading up to the jet. "He is my Custodian escort, his name is Ville Friman and he's from the frozen mountains in the north of Sinnoh, a place where the sun never sets during summer and never rises during winter. Those places breed very tough men. His English is perfect but he may be a little hard to understand because of his Uralic accent, but he's a very nice man so don't be afraid of him at all." She reassured the kid with a comforting smile.

Max waved timidly to the Custodian, who waved back with a broad smile upon his bearded face. The boy then turned back to Cynthia, "Where will you be going then?" he asked. She replied, "Back to Pallet, I need to have a word with Professor Oak and his grandson, and probably Mrs. Ketchum as well. There's something they're not telling me." Max nodded, he had assumed that Gary was hiding something from his nervous fidgeting in the waiting room earlier.

"Well, goodbye Cynthia, I hope you find all the answers you're looking for before it's too late." He said smiling up at the blonde Champion. Cynthia returned his smile, "Thank you Max, I hope so too. Stay safe and farewell." She replied before striding away, pausing a few times to look over shoulder and make sure everything was alright with Max.

As she got in her car and left Viridian City she couldn't help but wonder if Max would be alright without her, sure the boy had a very highly trained Custodian and pilots _and _her ace Pokémon protecting him, but Lance had had very strong Pokémon too. If something happened to the boy while under her care, the G-Men's already rocky reputation would plummet further, not to mention the headache that would arise from his Gym Leader parents. But if something happened to Max, Cynthia knew deep down that she would feel an emotion quite foreign to her, guilt.

#########

**_1 hour later:_**

Cynthia had just passed through the forest surrounding Pallet Town when she thought she saw the distinct puppet-like trio of heads a hydreigon flying over her and towards Viridian. But its destination wasn't what concerned her, rather its source was. It had come from Mrs. Ketchum's house. She had originally planned to spend the night at the professor's lab but after seeing the hydreigon she decided to check up on Delia and the others.

She pulled in behind May's rental car and had just stepped out when she heard a scream followed by a thud. A few seconds later she heard the unmistakable sound of retching. She rushed to the door and knocked on it hard, "Mrs. Ketchum! Is everything alright? It's Cynthia!" she yelled. Several seconds passed before she heard footsteps and then the door being unlocked.

The door swung open to reveal May's pale face and trembling body, she frowned and whispered in a strained voice, "Cynthia? What are you doing here? Where's Max?" Cynthia, worried by the state of May's voice, replied hurriedly, "He's on his way to Petalburg, don't worry my garchomp is with him. Now what happened here?" The brunette just stepped away to reveal a scene of chaos. The window looking out to the garden had been smashed and the coffee table lay in pieces. There were a few indents in the walls and the remains of a PokéBall lay near where Delia was sobbing on the floor and Drew was sitting against the wall. Cynthia rushed to Delia, avoiding the puddles of vomit, and checked to see if she was injured before glancing into the cupboard.

Her eyes widened and she gasped at what she saw, she cursed before pulling out her phone and dialing 999, "This is Cynthia Lawson and there's been a murder of an owned Pokémon in the household of Delia Ketchum on number 1 Acacia Avenue in Pallet Town." The blonde G-Men Officer noticed that May was breathing hard and clutching her stomach, and that there were bloodstains strewn about the floor. "People have been injured too, bring an ambulance." She then hung up before the police could ask her anything; knowing that the abrupt ending would bring them faster.

She glanced again at Delia sobbing at the floor before moving onto Drew, who was still sitting against the wall, pale-faced with flecks of sick about his mouth, eyes unfocused and staring blankly ahead. She finally looked at May who was carefully picking up the crushed PokéBall she had seen earlier. "Poor Cilan… Poor Whimsicott…" The shaken brunette whispered. Cynthia flinched as she saw blood seeping out of the cracks in the ball; she realized that it had been inhabited when it was crushed. She wouldn't wish that fate on her worst enemy.

She surveyed the devastation once more, coming to the conclusion that Iris and Cilan must have flown away on the former's hydreigon, and she sighed in frustration as she realized her questions for Delia and the Oaks would have to wait.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Cerulean City Gym/Waterflower Household; 03/04/2013:_**

The red head awoke confused. She looked around the room in which she lay and eventually realized it wasn't the living room of a seaside cottage and that she was alone. It had happened again. Ever since the incident in Sinnoh and Ash's disappearance, her mind constantly tortured her of what could have been during her sleep. She rested her head on her pillow again and stared straight ahead at the ceiling.

It wasn't long before the tears came. Her mouth involuntarily drooped and her vision became misty as she began to cry. Her cries became more desperate at the thought of Brock and Dawn's demise and of the missing man that she had grown to love.

After she had left Ash in Johto and returned home, the two had always kept in touch, sometimes by e-mail, sometimes by vid-phone and sometimes by letters. They had never drifted apart emotionally, despite their physical separation, and during Ash's most recent journey around Sinnoh Misty had thought that they were growing very _very_ close. She had been sure that Ash reciprocated her feelings, despite him not actually saying anything of the sort, and she was going to reveal her feelings for him when he returned home after the Conference, whether he had won or not.

But then he had disappeared, replaced by Ritchie who then plunged the world into confusion and fear. And now Misty doubted she would ever be able to tell Ash how she felt, which was why she despaired every morning after her dreams of what could have been… what was supposed to have been.

Her weeping was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door. "Misty? Breakfast's ready." Misty sniffled and wiped her eyes and her nose before yelling back at Daisy, "Coming sis!" She got out of bed and washed her face in the sink in the bathroom en suite before slipping into acceptable clothing and heading downstairs to the kitchen.

She was greeted by the sight of her eldest sister and her boyfriend, who had medicinal tape spread across his nose. When Daisy had first seen Tracey yesterday with blood all down his face and his shirt she had flown into a rage, demanding to know who had hurt her precious 'beau' and ranting about how whoever was responsible was going to feel the wrath of the most sensational of the Sensational Sisters; though she had become a tad more responsible over the years her arrogance was still sky high.

It was only after both Misty's and Tracey's assurance that it was illegal to kill someone with a handbag, especially a G-Men Official, she calmed down somewhat and took Tracey to the hospital. Luckily for Tracey the pain was mostly numbed because, as usual, he was under the influence.

After Daisy had left for the hospital with her boyfriend in tow Misty had made her way to the aquarium to release and feed the Pokémon she had on her as well as the Pokémon in the Gym. She always thoroughly looked after her Pokémon, which was why she considered the strongest Gym Leader in the Kanto region. There were even some rumours flying about that she was secretly training with Prima or Lorelei or whatever her name was now in order to replace her and become a new member of the Kanto Elite Four.

They were just rumours of course; her Pokémon may be strong but only Gyarados and perhaps Golduck would be strong enough to defeat an Elite's Pokémon. Whenever Ash came over they would always battle, and true to their competitive relationship they would always use their A-team. Ash would struggle to beat her Corsola, Politoed, Azumarill and Kingdra but he would usually pull through. But then Misty would release Golduck, who always made short work of the rest of Ash's Pokémon. Ash had never even fought her Gyarados because he had never managed to beat Golduck.

While it was true that generally Misty was a stronger Pokémon Trainer than Ash, she reckoned that Ash could maybe beat her if he used his truly strongest Pokémon. Pikachu still always refused to battle her and she knew that his pidgeot could provide a decent match against her Golduck, and Arceus forbid that he ever reunited with his ridiculous Charizard; even with his type disadvantage that beast could probably swipe away most of her team and perhaps hold his own against Gyarados, though Misty would never have admitted that to Ash. Another thing to consider was that, according to Brock, Ash and his Pokémon had apparently become a lot stronger during his rerun through Sinnoh. Misty hadn't fought him since his Unova journey so who knows? Perhaps Ash could beat her now.

Misty was brought abruptly out of her thoughts by the ringing of the home telephone, when she saw that Daisy was too busy being her idiotic self and that Tracey was staring deeply into his Cheerios with his mouth open in a shocked expression, she realized that she would have to answer it herself.

The shaky voice of her close friend May immediately warned Misty that something was wrong, "Misty! Are you alright?!" Misty, alarmed and confused, replied warily, "Yeah I'm fine, why?" The red-head became very worried when she heard May sniffling over the phone. "Oh Misty, it was awful! It came out of nowhere! And Cilan! Poor Cilan! And Mimey! Oh Mew I hope Delia will be alright when she wakes up…"

Misty was very scared now as she tried to calm May down, who had burst into tears. "Wha- Okay May? Can you hear me May? Please calm down… I don't understand, what happened?" She waited patiently as May's sobs died down before the brunette recounted the events of the previous night to Misty. Starting with the ominous alakazam and them being held by its psychic abilities and then going on to the horrible machamp and its brutal assault on Cilan and finally their discovery of Delia's Mr. Mime's brutal demise and Cynthia's arrival.

"Neither Delia nor Cilan have woken up and Iris is just beside herself, Cilan is the only person she trusts in this whole mess since Ash's disappearance. Both of her only friends' fates are uncertain."

Misty gasped and put her hand over mouth, drawing the attention of Daisy and her boyfriend, before speaking, "I'll be over as soon as I can. You're in Viridian hospital right? It's about an hour train ride to Viridian, I'll see you then." May spoke gratefully, "Thank you Misty, I just really need a friend right now, I think Drew's just as shocked as I am…" Misty smiled sadly, "No problem May."

Misty sighed as she hung up and headed towards the Gym, "May and them were attacked in Delia's home in Pallet, Cilan's in critical condition and the rest are in shock, I'm going over to be with them," She explained to Daisy and Tracey as she walked away. Daisy gasped and looked at Tracey, who seemed to understand the situation for once. He nodded solemnly, "It's true honey, the Cheerios warned me of this." Daisy face palmed, she could admit that she was no genius, but Tracey's drug-addled mind made hers seem like that of an actuarial scientist.

"We'll go with you Misty!" she yelled after her sister who only nodded in reply.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Somewhere over Johto; 03/04/2013; early morning:_****  
><strong>  
>Max sighed, he had just spoken to his sister on the jet's vid-phone who had told him about everything that had happened in Pallet. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried about her, but she had assured him that Cynthia would be with them at all times from now on. Apparently the blonde Champion had insisted on it.<p>

He stared out of the window into the black rainclouds as he wondered who would attack the Ketchum household; he wasn't sure who the target had been but a Pokémon as smart as Alakazam had to have known that the house had been inhabited by more than just Delia that night. That was probably why the machamp had been there, as back-up muscle. So the goal couldn't have been just taking Delia and Max was almost certain that the alakazam had intended to kidnap someone; whomever had sent the two Pokémon would have just sent machamp if he or she wanted to just assault someone.

According to May, the Nurse Joy in Viridian had performed an autopsy on Mimey and had determined that the barrier Pokémon had been dead for at least a day, which explained the lack of decay on his corpse when Mrs. Ketchum had found him, plus the chemicals in the cleaning cupboard would have concealed bad odours had there been any.

But the thing that had Max really confused was that the alakazam must have been surveying the house since at least the day before if Mimey had been dead for that long, so why would it choose the one day when Delia wasn't alone to strike? Which brought Max back to the original question: who was the alakazam targeting if not Delia?

Max sighed once again as he continued pondering the event while still staring out the window. Suddenly a fork of lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the ominous shapes of black rolling clouds frothing all around the plane and letting off a peal of thunder that caused the plane to shake a bit. While quite a scary sight, Max knew that if the plane was in any real danger, Ville, who was sitting opposite him, wouldn't be acting so calmly.

Eventually, as the thunder and lightning continued and the boy had grown accustomed to the chaos churning about outside his window, he began to enjoy the show. Each time the sky lit up he tried to identify the shapes in the clouds as Pokémon. He saw a tall cumulus tyranitar, plenty of big cumulus pidgeots, and every now and then a reasonably large wispy charizard, though that one seemed quite small compared to the towering tyranitars and pidgeots. The smart boy frowned; there were no wispy clouds in thunderstorms.

As yet another rumble of thunder rolled through him, the sky lit up once again, only this time he saw the charizard cloud again, and it was much closer, close enough for Max to see the bright orange flame burning at the end of its huge tail. Close enough for him to see its dark orange scales glinting in the light of the lightning. To see its massive green webbed wings rippling in the wind. To see its two blunt horns rear back as the beast opened its mouth. From deep within the blood red cavernous mouth filled with razor sharp fangs an orange glow arose, steadily building up until white hot fire filled the entire mouth and molten flame was dripping from its jaws.

Max turned to scream at Ville to move but before any sound escaped his mouth a huge pillar of white fire ripped through the plane. Max put his hands up in front of his face as the pillar completely incinerated the screaming Ville and cut the plane in half as efficiently as any laser. Even though Ville had been sitting just two metres away from him and the white flame had only been present for a split second, Max could feel his hands blistering and his sleeves searing away. The boy screamed in fear and pain as he watched the back half of the plane be ripped apart by the ferocious winds before another huge blast of fire scorched the remains away.

He realized that the front half that he was in was dropping like stone towards the earth before the winds tore him, seat and all, out of the plane and into the angry black sky. He lost all sense of direction as he spun frantically in the air still strapped into his seat. He tried to reach into his pocket to grab Garchomp's PokéBall but his blistered fingers made it hard to grasp the cool object without screaming in pain. Eventually he managed to grab the ball and release the Pokémon within.

"Garchomp help me!" He screamed as the Mach Pokémon took shape. Garchomp, with reactions honed to perfection from years of brutal training, immediately grabbed Max before ripping him out of the seat with raw strength. With the boy secure on his back the beast took off straight through the sky at supersonic speeds, the boom of the of the sound barrier being penetrated almost as loud to Max as the crashing thunder.

But the sound that terrified Max the most, more than the sonic boom, more than the thunder, more than the tearing winds, was the guttural roar of that beastly charizard as it took off after them, almost matching their speed. Suddenly Garchomp pulled up as another absolutely gigantic charizard rose up in front of them. Max noticed that this one had three sharp horns, serrated wings, a spiked tail and was at least three times larger than both Garchomp and the original charizard, he realized that it must be one of those Mega-Charizards that Cynthia spoke of.

He cowered in fear as the new charizard glanced at him and Garchomp, but instead of chasing after them as Max expected the new, larger beast shot towards the original charizard, tearing a rend through the air and causing crashing thunder at the speed it was going. As the larger dragon closed in on the original one it flipped upside down and spread its claws out.

The smaller dragon stood no chance as the larger one flew under it, its claws raking down the soft underside of its belly. The smaller charizard roared in anger and agony as blood sprayed out from its belly, soaking the larger dragon as it flew past under it, still upside down. The larger dragon then righted itself before launching itself above the smaller injured beast with a single flap of its mighty wings. It grabbed the smaller beast with vicious sharp claws that dug in, penetrating the injured charizard's hard back scales and drawing blood. It then snaked its long serpentine neck down and, with fire writhing around its foot long fangs, chomped down on the smaller beast's neck, crushing the bone within. Then it twisted its mouth, causing the smaller beast's neck to snap.

The larger charizard released the dead charizard and watched as its body plummeted to the earth, the tearing winds whipping it back and forth. Max, who had seen the whole thing due to the almost continuous lightning cracking about the sky, cried out in horror. He had never seen a Pokémon so viciously killed and even though the beast had killed Ville so horribly he didn't feel any joy at its brutal demise.

Suddenly he saw the larger charizard making its way over towards him and Garchomp. He felt Garchomp rear back and then release a massive beam of orange energy in an earth-shattering Hyper Beam. But the charizard simply flew straight into it! The beam detonated causing a huge cloud of smoke and sparks to arise, only to be whipped away instantly by the ferocious winds. The charizard was unharmed! What sort of beast was this that it could withstand a Hyper Beam from a Beta Rank Pokémon?!

Max suddenly remembered hearing about Lance's death and how it was suspected that it was a charizard that had done it. His face paled as he realized he must be facing that charizard right now. If that was the case then this beast was Colossal Rank! Come to think of it, given the power of its flamethrower, the other one might have been Colossal as well.

If his assumptions were correct, then Max knew they needed to get the hell out of there. He yelled to Garchomp over the howling winds, "Garchomp we have to get out of here! You don't stand a chance! That Pokémon must be a Colossal one!" Luckily Garchomp's acute hearing picked up Max's words before it was whipped away. The beast grunted its name in agreement before blasting off, creating another sonic boom as it sped away.

Max glanced behind him but to his horror he found the orange dragon not only keeping up with Garchomp, but also overtaking him! The beast flew low over them and spread out its claws, each one longer than Max's arm, and tried to grab him. Fortunately Garchomp suddenly halted its flight, causing the charizard to shoot over them. Unfortunately this seemed to anger the huge beast immensely as it roared bestially before whipping around, veiling itself in blue fire and hurtling towards them in a Flare Blitz attack. The fire was so hot that all rain within a metre of the blazing comet instantly evaporated.

Garchomp just managed to barrel roll out of the way but not before one flaming hand raked across his face. Three instantly cauterized rends opened up upon Garchomp's face, one running straight across his right eye. The Mach Pokémon roared in pain and Max screamed in fear before shock silenced him. He had had the sudden horrible realization that he wasn't going to get out of this. He had always been a smart boy and despite a few lapses of judgement during his journey with Ash, he knew when he was beaten. It was obvious that the charizard wanted him alive; otherwise Garchomp would be missing more than just an eye. It was also obvious that Garchomp was no match for this beast.

Max knew that there was only two ways this scenario was going to play out; if he is taken and Garchomp survives, or Garchomp gets killed, probably horribly, and Max still gets taken. So with tears streaming down his face, mixing with the lashing rain, and bile hovering at the tip of his throat he opted for the former scenario and shakily unclasped his Pokétch and put it on Video record.

He wrapped the Pokétch around the base of Garchomp's dorsal fin, where it was just thin enough for it, though his trembling blistered fingers made it difficult to do so. He spoke with a shaking voice as he did so. "Cynthia! I-I've been attacked by a ch-charizard! I think it was Colossal! Garchomp and I are the only survivors from your jet, Ville is…" Max choked as the sudden realization that Ville had been so violently killed hit him.

The tears burned as he continued. "Ville is… h-he didn't make it. But the charizard that attacked the plane is dead! It was killed by another one, but this new one is even more powerful! Your Garchomp didn't stand a chance… Cynthia… I think it might be one of those Mega-Charizards you spoke of… I-I think it might be the same one that attacked Lance."

"I'm telling Garchomp to take this message to you… the charizard wants me alive and it won't kill Garchomp needlessly!" Max paused as Garchomp reared up at his words, before relaxing and solemnly nodding his head. He would take the message to his master. Max sobbed and began weeping, his tears were carving burning trails down rain lashed face. He began to yell frantically. "Please Cynthia! Help me! Find me and save me! I don't want to die! PLEASE!"

He was just a fifteen year old kid, he'd never seen death before and now suddenly his own seemed inevitable. He felt massive claws slowly wrap around him and watched in terror as they overlapped around his chest. He screamed as the charizard yanked him away, watching the injured Garchomp and that little screen fade away into the black thunderclouds. "HELP MEEEE!"

#########

Garchomp watched Max and the charizard disappear into the angry skies with a sorrowful expression before grimacing. Due to the instant cauterization of the wounds upon his face his eye would probably never grow back. But that didn't mean that there wasn't a lot of thick hot blood streaming down his face. He was tired but he had a long way to go if he was to deliver Max's message to his trainer, but he deliver it he would, even if he drew the last breath from his body doing so.

So with black chaos and white thunder crashing around him he bellowed out an earth-trembling roar before blasting off towards Pallet Town at a speed that might have reached the edge of Mach 2. And while the stinging rain lashed at his wounded face, the only thought going through his mind was that he was going survive this ordeal, he was going to get stronger, and he was going to crush that charizard.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Shamouti Island; 03/04/2013:_**

Jenny groaned as the speed boat bounced of yet another swell before slamming down again into the clear blue waters, causing her knees to buckle and her knuckles gripping the rail to turn white. Meanwhile the girl next to her laughed out joyfully. Jenny stared incredulously at the young woman who she had met on Shamouti. With maroon hair flowing behind her and a beret covering her head, Melody laughed as her eyes sparkled in merriment. Jenny shook her head, this girl was crazy!

When she and Bruno had arrived at Shamouti Island, they had begun asking around the nearest PokéCentre about Melody and Lugia. Eventually someone had gotten over Bruno's size and directed them to Melody's house, which she shared with her sister Carol and her sister's girlfriend Maren. They spoke to Melody who agreed to take them to the shrine where Lugia could apparently be summoned. The maroon haired girl had then taken them to the docks where her boat was mired.

But when they arrived at the docks, Bruno had taken one look at the boat they'd be taking and decided he needed to make an impromptu conference call with Cynthia, deciding that even a chance to meet the Legendary Lugia wasn't worth a trip on that small little speedboat. Jenny had laughed at him and told him that his massive physique would probably sink the boat anyway, to which Melody laughed at. But then Bruno had promptly informed the policewoman that she hadn't seemed to mind his _massive _physique last night on the ferry to Shamouti. Melody had guffawed as Jenny's face became redder than the aforementioned girl's hair.

After Bruno had walked away with an awfully satisfied smirk spread across his face, the highly embarrassed Jenny and chuckling Melody had stepped onto the boat before Melody revved the engines and set off at a speed that no marine vehicle should have access to. Which bought the two to where they were now, soaring into the air as the boat ramped up another swell while Melody shouted in delight, "Woohooo!"

Jenny rushed to the side and emptied the contents of her stomach into ocean, perhaps it was best that Bruno had not come, she thought grumpily. He'd never have made it. Melody, who only seemed to notice Jenny's plight just then, slowed the boat down a tad before coming over. "Ma'am I'm so sorry! I always get carried away when my hands are behind the wheel of my boat, just ask my sister; this one time she fell out of the boat and I only noticed about a minute later! Luckily she was close to the shore so she could swim back."

Jenny spat what remained in her mouth into the ocean before wiping her mouth and turning to smile weakly at the apologetic Island girl. "Don't worry about it Melody, and please, my badge and uniform are at home. I'm not on duty so call me Jenny." Melody released a relieved sigh before smiling brightly once more.

"Well we're almost here Jenny, there's the shrine island up ahead, King's Rock." Melody pointed ahead of her to a small rocky island jutting out of the sea like a small blemish on an otherwise flat landscape. As the boat drew close to the island Jenny saw a tiny cove with an even smaller beach tucked away behind the folds of the unforgiving rock edge of King's Rock. The boat just managed to fit in the cove and the beach couldn't have been more than a few metres across.

Jenny leapt over the edge of the boat and splashed into the ankle high waters as she made her way onto the warm sand. She noticed that where the beach joined the island there were stairs hewn into the rocks. They lead up around the island, spiraling to top of the sharp spire that rose in the center of King's Rock, where a small cave could be seen.

Melody, who had just finished tying up the boat to a small wooden post that was hammered into the rocks surrounding the beach, and then had thrown the anchor overboard for good measure, came up beside Jenny an spoke while pointing to the cave at the top of the spire. "That's where we need to go, we'll meet an old friend to the residents of Shamouti and he will tell you how to summon the Guardian of the Seas."

Jenny was again reminded of how Melody always referred to Lugia as 'the Guardian of the Seas'. She wasn't the only one either; everyone she had spoken to on Shamouti called him that as well, almost as if speaking his real name was blasphemous. Indeed some folk had looked at her as such when she spoke his real name but Melody seemed a bit more accepting of other people's cultures. The off-duty policewoman figured that people of Shamouti Island were Servants and that they probably saw Lugia as a god of sorts; they did seem to be the religious sort.

"Let's go then." Jenny said before determinedly striding up the stone steps. She soon found however that the going was dangerous, very dangerous. Time, combined with the constant crashing of waves against island's rocky walls, sending up sea spray onto the steps, had smoothed the steps so they became rounded, sporting almost glass-like qualities. Coupled with the fact that the steps were always wet and they became as slippery as ice. Only one misstep was required to send the blunette sliding down into the razor sharp rocks below.

"Careful Jenny!" Melody yelled as the policewoman slipped, the only thing halting her untimely demise was Melody's fist gripping her collar. Jenny breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Mew! Thank you Melody! Why hasn't your friend done something about this? Surely he would rather not risk his life every time he walked these steps?" Melody laughed, "You'll understand when you meet him, I'm not sure he's even left his cave since the Legendary Bird disaster six years ago!"

Jenny frowned, what sort of sick man were they going to meet?! A lonely hermit who hadn't seen a woman in years? A misshapen heap of flesh who liked to eat people that asked too many questions? Jenny knew she was being ridiculous, but she wasn't exactly in a rational state of mind after just having been saved from grinding waves and rocks by the skin of her teeth. Melody saw Jenny's uneasy expression and reassured her, "Relax Jenny, he's very friendly, he's not some sort of pervert or anything. I come to see him at least once a week to keep him company."

The relief on Jenny's face was evident. Still, she wondered what sort of person would live in a small cave for years on end. At least he wasn't starved for company. Taking deep breaths to settle herself she carefully made her way up the steps and around the spire. When she finally stepped onto the firm surface of the cave entrance floor she released a sigh of relief that she hadn't even realised she'd been holding.

She slumped against the wall of the cave as Melody stepped up beside her and stretched her arms out. After she had sufficiently rested up she noticed a small shrine which held three round openings on the edge of the ledge she had just got up onto. She stood up to inspect the shrine but was soon distracted by the glorious view that lay behind the shrine. While climbing the steps she had been too preoccupied with watching her step to notice it but now that she was safe she could truly appreciate it.

In the distance she could just see a smudged dark shape that was Shamouti Island and to its right she could make out Fire Island. To its left she could see Ice Island and she assumed that Thunder Island was on the other side of Shamouti. But what caught her attention was how the turquoise blue waters of the Orange Ocean sparkled under the shine of the sun.

The water was clear enough to see schools of magikarp and goldeen flitting about under the surface. She saw a long serpentine shape in the distance off to her left; it might have been a gyarados. She even saw a lone lapras drifting across the horizon to her right. But one other thing that caught her eye was a massive circle of navy blue with a diameter of at least fifty metres in the ocean right before the entrance to the cove where Melody's boat was mired. It appeared to be a huge deep hole right underneath the surface of the water. They must have passed over it while getting to the island and the police woman wondered how on earth she had missed it.

"It is truly beautiful is it not? I am blessed to see it every day, when Mother Nature allows for it of course; can't see much of this in a storm after all." Jenny jumped as a rumbling and definitely male voice spoke out from behind her. She turned around to find Melody giggling and a large primarily pink bipedal Pokémon. It had a pale yellow muzzle, a scaled belly and a spiny ruff with alternating red and white stripes about its neck. With only one claw on each foot and hand it appeared relatively harmless, except for the huge spiked shell with two huge horns and a red gem in the centre of it that lay on its head.

But that wasn't where a slowking's strength lay. Brought about when a shellder bit its head rather than its tail, a slowking's massive intellectual potential is unlocked when the shellder's venom mixes with the chemical solution that is a slowpoke's brain, allowing the usually slow members of the slowpoke family to become smarter than most Pokémon. Side effects of this sudden increase in intellect were speech and psychic abilities.

But this one was old, very old. Jenny could see murkrow's feet in the corners of its huge eyes. His shell was worn down and one horn was missing its tip. He was missing some teeth and those that remained had been worn flat. There were rips in the ruff around his neck and the gem in the centre of his shell had a crack in it.

Slowking gazed quizzically at Jenny and then tilted his head, "Has your tongue frozen inside your mouth child? Can you not speak?" Jenny jumped again as she realised that she had been standing there and staring at him with no response to his original statement. Melody, who saw Jenny's discomfort, stepped forth and spoke. "Slowking, this is Chief Investigator Jenny, a police officer from Viridian City who has come with questions regarding the Guardian of the Seas." She then turned to Jenny, "Jenny, this is Slowking, an old friend to the people of Shamouti, it was through his actions that the Chosen One was able to summon the Guardian of the Seas and defeat both Lawrence III and the enraged Legendary Bird Trio."

Slowking let loose a deep, yet warm laugh. "Melody my child, I may be old by human standards, but for a slowking I have yet to reach my twilight years." Melody rolled her eyes but she was grinning, "Well being over 150 years old is old in my book, so I'll call you old whenever I feel like it!" she replied while laughing. Slowking chuckled again before returning his attentions to the still silent policewoman before him.

Jenny realised she still hadn't spoken, so she sought to remedy that as soon as possible. "Forgive my silence Slowking, it's just that when Melody told me that someone lived up here I assumed she was referring to a human. I hope I have not offended." She said somewhat formally. Slowking laughed and spoke reassuringly, "Not at all my dear! I know how rare my species are. It takes an incredibly foolish Pokémon, even for a slowpoke, to get its head bitten by a shellder after all. Now, what questions do you have regarding Lugia? Has a confrontation with Chosen One sent you desiring answers?"

Jenny noticed that the Royal Pokémon had called Lugia by his name, but thought little of it. She wasn't sure if she entirely trusted this slowking, but she spoke anyway. "I have come here to speak to Lugia. Recent events have the G-Men very worried and we have reason to believe that the Colossus, the man who has killed over a hundred thousand people in Sinnoh, has access to Colossal Rank Pokémon. As you must well know, Pokémon of Colossal strength are very powerful indeed and we may need the help of the Legendaries. Lugia has been seen by humans more than any other Legendary Pokémon and so we thought that through Lugia we could ask the Legendaries to help defend us against the Colossus should he strike again."

Slowking frowned while Melody solemnly nodded; she had already been informed of Jenny's task. The Royal Pokémon spoke. "This is worrying news… and what of the Chosen One? Has he formed a counterattack? Or is that why you are here? Is this his plan?" Jenny became very confused, "Uhh… I don't know of any Chosen One Slowking, I don't believe I've met him."

Slowking frowned before turning his head to Melody, who leaned forward and whispered to him. "The Chosen One is a legend only told among the residents of Shamouti, out in the rest of the world there is no Chosen One." Slowking seemed very alarmed by this news. "What! The Chosen One doesn't apply only to Shamouti Island! He is the prophesized saviour of the world!"

He turned and then focused sharply on Jenny. He moved closer to her and then stared deep into her eyes. Jenny had the feeling that he was staring at more than just her eyes though. Was this how Psychic Pokémon read your mind? The Royal Pokémon leaned back again. "You _have_ met the Chosen One Jenny, seven years ago he came into your town cradling an exhausted pikachu. You helped him to the PokéCentre. You may not know him as the Chosen One, but perhaps you know him by the name given to him, Ash Ketchum."

Jenny gasped, Ash was the one who summoned Lugia and saved Shamouti from disaster six years ago?! Bruno would want to know this, and Cynthia, she supposed. She licked her lips nervously as she spoke. "Yes I know Ash, everybody knows Ash." A huge smile spread across Slowking's face. "They do? So he has mounted a counterattack then? Perhaps he is just not known as the Chosen One, it is only a title after all."

Jenny winced and with a grim tone she said, "Not quite Slowking. Everybody knows Ash because everybody hates him, they believe he is the man behind the Lily of the Valley attack, they believe he is the Colossus." Slowking frowned heavily, "The Chosen One would never do that! Surely his friends and family cannot believe this!"

Jenny replied, "Well no, they know Ash is innocent, as do I. But Ash has been missing since the attack and as the imposter looks remarkably like him, most of the world does believe him to be the Colossus. But Ash is sort of irrelevant right now, I was sent here by Cynthia Lawson, Champion of Sinnoh , to ask the Legendaries for their help."

Slowking growled, "The Chosen One is missing is he? This is bad, very bad. And child, if you, an Officer of the law, truly believe that the Chosen One is irrelevant then I fear for the people of this world. For it is not the Legendaries you need, but the Chosen One. But perhaps Lugia can help you find him… I will summon him."

As the Royal Pokémon gestured for her and Melody to step away from the ledge and back into the cave Jenny thought about what he had said. She didn't understand what help Ash could possibly be against the Colossus but if Slowking believing so made him summon Lugia then she was happy to play along with his delusions. The pink salamander moved right to the edge of the cave and raised his arms into the air. He made no sound but his eyes started to glow a pale blue and the gem on his shell glowed a piercing red.

Suddenly the water in that gaping blue hole Jenny had seen earlier began to twirl. It was a slow spin at first but it gradually increased in both velocity and size until a massive whirlpool was spinning, its root extending deep into that hole. Melody's boat was pulled towards the whirlpool, the only thing stopping from getting sucked in and crushed was the chain tied to the post and the anchor.

Jenny stared transfixed at the whirlpool as it roared not twenty metres away from her. Suddenly a pillar of water the width of the hole blasted into the air before slowly halting its ascent. Then it collapsed, falling apart as water rushed out from it. Yet as a giant tsunami headed towards King's Rock, threatening to flood the entire island and drown its inhabitants, it smashed against an invisible spherical barrier, rocketing back up into the air before falling back down in one final smash.

As the water finally retreated back down to normal heights Jenny noticed a huge beast hovering amidst rainbows brought on by the sun shining on the mist left over by the watery eruption. It appeared to be some sort of a mix between a dragon, a plesiosaur, and a bird. It had a long, slender neck and a smooth, streamlined, white body, with the exception of the huge navy plates that protruded down of the length of its back. Its massive wings resembled hands and its head was pointed with two sharp plates protruding from behind its narrow eyes.

Then it spoke with a voice deeper than the sound of roaring whirlpools, "Greetings humans. I… am Lugia"

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Hospital/PokéCentre; 03/04/2013:_**

Drew had his head in his hands and was sighing when the person in the bed he was sitting by stirred. He glanced up and was relieved to see his girlfriend, his beautiful girlfriend, awake. He lunged forward and wrapped May in a hug. "Oh May, I'm so glad you're alright!" He pulled back and saw May's stunned expression. He continued, "I'm so sorry for not protecting you like I should have, I can't believe that a Pokémon would do this to you!"

His eyes were watering he realised, but he didn't care. His May was alive! "And I know that I've been a terrible boyfriend, but I'll make it up to you I swear! Starting now Drew Hayden is a new man, a man that'll be however you want him to be May!" He suddenly realised that May was crying. "May! What's wrong!"

The brunette girl smiled through her tears, "Oh Drew… that was so sweet! But I was the lucky one Drew, Cilan is suffering a lot worse than I am." Drew nodded faintly as he felt nauseous. Having lived a very privileged lifestyle most of his life the green-haired Coordinator had grown up with the belief that Pokémon could only be friends to humans. He had never taken them for granted, probably the only thing he hadn't in his life, he realised bitterly, but the concept of a Pokémon harming a human was very foreign to him.

He knew the power of Pokémon but he'd only seen it unleashed on other Pokémon and they had remarkable durableness and healing abilities that kept them safe from any lasting harm. So to see a Pokémon's power unleashed on a human was a very traumatic experience for the Hoenn native. Sure he had had a few scuffles with bad sorts on his journey around Hoenn, but he had Solidad and Harley to back him up back then and besides, most bad guys had sense enough not to order their Pokémon to attack a person, no sensible criminal would want robbery to turn into murder after all…

Drew shuddered as he again thought of Cilan; when Drew had learnt the extent of the damage May had suffered from just one punch from that super-powered monster, namely a few cracked ribs and a bruised stomach, he had realised the depth of the danger that the polite Unovian was in, which again brought on bouts of fear at the prospect of a Pokémon causing it.

But it was when he thought of the machamp hitting his girlfriend that panic seized his heart. A person close to him had gotten injured by a Pokémon! And as he had struggled helpless against the powerful bonds of that horrible alakazam, another Pokémon of ill content, he had realised he'd never felt so useless before. His experiences with bad sorts in the past had been a walk in the park when compared to the violence and futility of what had occurred in Mrs. Ketchum's house.

And while May had lain recovering in the hospital bed, getting up only once to call her brother and Misty, Drew had had a revelation of sorts. He realised that the world was dark, a lot darker than he had thought. Sure the 'Valley of Death' incident had been shocking but he hadn't been there, nor had he lost anyone really close to him, the deaths of Brock and Dawn had been, while unsettling, sort of inconsequential to him. So experiencing such trauma first hand as he had had in Pallet Town had eliminated his naivety and he eventually came to the realization that he had to protect those he cared about, starting with his girlfriend.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Somewhere; 03/04/2014:_**

**AN WARNING: This coming scene features torture, the characters in question are the same torturer and victim from the 1st chapter. While not all that gory it is quite vivid and implicative. It features whipping and crucifixion. Please do not read this if you such content disturbs you, though I would recommend that you stop reading this story be that the case. There is a notice when the scene ends if you want to skip it. And please read my author's note at the end of the chapter regarding the crucifixion if it offended you.**

"Have you heard of the ancient Romans Mr. Ketchum?" when the man made no noise the torturer continued, "Well if not allow me to educate you," he said as he pushed the shirtless and blindfolded man down the narrow hallway. "The Romans were a mighty empire governed by a mostly corrupt senate and a few bloodthirsty dictators. They have a bloody history rivaled only by a few other empires. Possibly the most successful empire in history, not the largest, but the longest reigning one, they used to worship several gods which of course we recognize as Legendary Pokémon nowadays, well most of us anyway. They also used to go watch slaves fight to the death with a whole assortment of weird and wonderful weapons in huge colosseums. But perhaps their most famous trait was their vast intolerance of people who did not follow their ways."

The torturer pushed the man into a large room before forcing him down onto his knees. "They devised a very effective way of punishing those who opposed them," he said while unclipping a coiled cord of knotted leather from his waist before flicking it out so its three metre length cracked in the air, causing the blindfolded man to jump. The wielder smiled.

"First they whipped them like this," with a grunt he stepped forward and swung the whip across the man's bare back, leaving behind a huge bloody rend across his shoulders. The man screamed, his mutilated tongue rattling in his mouth as the force of the whip jolted his body. "And like this! And this! And this and this and this!" the torturer cackled as he opened the victim's back in a pattern of myriad scarlet crevasses. "I must say Mr. Ketchum, for someone who must be approaching at least 40, your body is in remarkably good shape, it seems such a shame to scar it so." It was true; the man didn't sport a single sag or wrinkle on his body, it was almost as if he stopped aging when he reached adulthood. Perhaps it was the effect of…Yes it must be!

The torturer threw the blood-soaked and flesh-speckled whip away as he walked to the man then leaned down to whisper in the man's ear as he removed the blindfold. "After there was no skin left on their backs, they crucified them... on a cross not unlike this one." The cloth fell away to reveal a huge wooden structure that appeared to be shaped as a lower case letter t lying on the floor. The torturer forced the man to his feet before turning him around and shoving him onto the cross. The wounded man screamed yet again as his torn back fell against the cross, soaking the wood with his blood.

The torturer grinned evilly as he pulled a cloth bag and a hammer from inside his coat, "And if you're wondering how they managed to keep them on the cross after they had righted it," he opened the bag to reveal large nails that were at least 4 inches long and an inch wide. "Well here's your answer!" he said cruelly before laughing gleefully at the man's fearful expression.

**AN: The torturing has finished.**

10 minutes and countless screams later the torturer stepped back to admire his handiwork. He had to give it to the Romans; they sure had known how to kill people. Of course, he didn't intend to kill the man, not yet anyway, but in order to take him down from the cross he would need Alakazam to ensure that he did not succumb to the shock or blood loss. All of sudden he sensed a powerful presence behind him. He grinned wryly; speak of the Renegade Pokémon and all that.

Without turning around he spoke, "you're late. Did you bring the package?" When no images flashed in his mind he turned around only to find his alakazam with three claw marks across its face. "What happened?" he demanded angrily; it was not like Alakazam to fail. Now images assaulted his mind, images of a dead Mr. Mime, a crushed PokéBall, a battered and bloodied green-haired man, another green haired man and two brunettes pinned against the wall. Lastly an image of a large black-skinned and gold-plated dragon taking down both his machamp and alakazam flashed past his eyes.

Blue cursed; he should not have underestimated that black girl! "Go heal yourself and Machamp and then come back, we'll need a new plan to take Delia." He said to his Pokémon. However the alakazam remained and a strong feeling of confusion seeped into Blue's brain. The Viridian Gym Leader understood immediately what Alakazam was trying to say. "You are wondering why I still allowed you to attack Delia with all those people in the house." He didn't need to see Alakazam's nod to know he was right.

"Those people are friends of my friend's," he gestured to the unconscious man nailed to the cross, "son, and if they had happened to suffer during the taking of my friend's wife, it might have drawn his son out of hiding, given his penchant for selflessly helping his friends and whatnot. Not only that, but in the unlikely event of you failing," he glared at the Psi Pokémon, "It would confuse the Police and the G-Men as to who my target was. They won't know who to protect now."

Alakazam nodded in understanding and was about to teleport away before his master stopped him. "Wait! Take him with you and heal him as well, I don't want him dying on me just yet." Alakazam nodded once more before teleporting away, taking the crucified man with him.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Viridian City Hospital/PokéCentre; 03/04/2013:_**

It was now afternoon and Cynthia was tired, very tired. She had not slept since the morning before. After the police and ambulances had come they had quickly cordoned off the house, but only after making sure that the residents had been safely shuttled off to the hospital in Viridian. There they had met up with Iris who had been pacing about in the waiting room. She had had red eyes and a runny nose, and she had been angry. But when May quietly informed her of Mr. Mime's demise she had calmed down and then offered words of sympathy to Delia, who had only nodded sadly in reply.

Cilan was in a coma, May had a bruised stomach and was drugged up and resting and Misty, who had arrived a few hours ago, was with her, as was Drew, who was in shock and hadn't spoken a word at all. That stupid stoner had come as well, along with his girlfriend, whom Cynthia quickly realised wasn't as fortunate as she was regarding the blonde stereotype.

Delia had cried herself to sleep last night and still hadn't woken up and Iris hadn't moved from Cilan's bedside. So Cynthia still had no idea what had transpired last night and she still hadn't spoken to Delia and the bloody Oaks! All in all it had been a pretty horrible morning for the blonde Champion, and a horrible morning almost always made for an even worse day.

Oh if she only knew just how much worse her day was going to become.

It started with a phone call while she was stretching her legs by walking around the nearby park. It wasn't the first phone call she had had that day, she had spoken to Bruno earlier and informed him of the all that had happened (not that she really knew what had happened). But it certainly wasn't one that she wanted to answer. For the caller ID was one Steven Stone, the Champion of Hoenn. Cynthia grimaced, speaking to Steven Stone was like speaking to a rock, if a rock exhibited even less emotion than it already did. She picked up, "Steven" she said warily, "Cynthia" came his detached reply.

Cynthia sighed, "What do you want Steven?" this was going to be painful. "A report on your findings on the Colossus and Lance's murderer" he said simply. While Cynthia really didn't like Steven, she could admire his lack of ostentatiousness when it came down to business. If only he didn't lack it in every other situation as well, perhaps their relationship would've lasted longer then.

"Ash isn't the Colossus and I have reason to believe that he wasn't behind Lance's murder either. I have a suspect as the Colossus, a man named Ritchie Jackson, apparently an acquaintance of Ash's and almost identical in appearance. According Misty Waterflower, Cerulean Gym Leader and a friend of Ash's, Ritchie has a charizard so I believe he may have killed Lance as well" she said tiredly.

If Steven noticed her exhaustion he gave no indication, only replied in that same monotonous voice. "Is it not true that Ash has a charizard as well? And that this charizard has recently disappeared? At the same time that Lance was killed? What is your reasoning behind Ash's innocence in both his role as the Colossus and Lance's murderer?"

Cynthia cursed under her breath, she should have known that the G-Men would have begun monitoring all of Ash's Pokémon as soon as the Colossus struck. So Steven knew of Ash's charizard and his recent disappearance, did he? It was going to be very hard to convince him of Ash's innocence, she took a deep breath and began speaking.

"I have spoken to Ash's friends and family and they have told me about this Ritchie Jackson. He does seem the ultimate contender for both roles as he is known to own all the Pokémon that the Colossus was seen with, except for the glalie. But I saw Ash's glalie in the Corral where Professor Oak keeps all of his and his trainer's Pokémon, so I know that the glalie at the Lily of the Valley wasn't Ash's. Also I checked the measurements of the Colossus on the PokéCentre Database, after being asked to by Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother, and they are not the same as Ash's. I don't know why the referee didn't pick up on it."

"As for Lance's murderer, well after having spoken to Ash's friends and family their conviction of Ash's innocence has convinced me that he simply couldn't have done it. I made a judgement call and I never seem to end up regretting them." She said defensively. She awaited with bated breath the steel-hearted Steven's reply.

"Well Cynthia I believe I speak for all the entire Council when I say that your judgement has proven to be flawless in the past, so I see no reason to doubt it now. If you say that Ash is innocent, then innocent he is." Cynthia gaped; Steven Stone, the human incarnation of taciturnity, had just given her, an ex-girlfriend no less, a compliment! She smiled; perhaps this day wouldn't turn out so bad after all. "But I must advise you against revealing your discoveries to the public just yet." Cynthia's smile slipped off her face. And perhaps it would.

"What? Why? We can't just let people go on believing the Colossus is Ash! They need to know the truth!" Cynthia spoke heatedly into her phone. Steven's cold reply did not please her. "We can and we will. The world already knows a truth, it may not be the right one but it's the one the world needs to hear. Already hate propaganda against Ketchum has riddled the media, many of which support our organization, directly or otherwise, which you cannot deny we are sore need of. To turn around and say that Ash isn't actually the evil monster the world thinks he is will sow discontent and confusion among the masses. But worst of all it would make our organization appear weak and indecisive and people will lose trust in us. This cannot happen, they need something to trust in and they need something that they can unite in their hatred of. That something is Ash and we cannot change it."

Cynthia growled in frustration, Steven was right of course; unfortunately a shared hatred could unite humans far better than a shared love ever could. Human beings, what a perfect fucking race… Cynthia thought bitterly. But she refused to accept defeat; if she let this go ahead she didn't think that any of the people in the hospital would ever trust her and she would never get any answers from Delia and the Oaks.

"But what of Ash's family and friends!" Cynthia yelled angrily. "What of them?" Steven replied ever so indifferently, "They are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. You know this Cynthia, I shouldn't have to remind you. Perhaps you have been spending too much time with Bruno. The Council let him go because we have no time for sympathy, don't make us let you go too." He said so emotionlessly before hanging up with no salutation of any sort.

Cynthia reeled in shock; had he just threatened her with redundancy?! Her, one of the Council Members herself! It was always hard to tell if you'd hit a nerve with the Champion of Hoenn, but Cynthia thought that she definitely had, which meant that Steven must be really stressed, which meant that the G-Men Council really were struggling to keep the situation under control.

Cynthia sighed as she headed back towards the PokéCentre; she was not looking forward to telling Delia of the G-Men's most recent decision, she only hoped that the mourning mother would still be willing to talk to her, but she doubted it. Cynthia paused and thought a while. Perhaps amidst the recent events at Delia's house everyone would have temporarily forgotten about how Ash had been demonized. It was difficult to remember what others believed in if you were surrounded by those who strongly believed in what you did after all.

That settled it, as soon as May had sufficiently rested up Cynthia would take everyone back to Delia's house, find out what happened, find out what Delia and the Oaks knew and then she would inform them of the G-Men's decision. Maybe…

Luckily for Cynthia, as she walked through the hospital's automatic doors she saw May, Misty and Drew sitting in the waiting room, flicking through various new channels depicting abnormally high tides and some plane wreck near Silver Town. She smiled before heading over to them and informing them of her decision to go back to Pallet Town.

"But Ms. Lawson," Misty asked politely, "How can you be sure that whoever attacked May and Cilan won't come back again? They obviously know where to go." Cynthia had thought of this. "Whoever did attack them won't come back if I'm there, and if they do, they won't succeed." Cynthia replied simply. She wasn't boasting, just stating a fact. At any rate Misty did seem a little reassured by her reply.

"Alright, if there are no more questions, would one of you kindly go wake up Mrs. Ketchum and fetch Iris please? Then we'll make our way to Pallet Town, I'll send out Togekiss to fly with us along the way, she should be more than enough to handle any assault headed our way. Will you and your sister and her boyfriend be coming with us Ms. Waterflower?" Misty nodded as May left to do as the Champion had asked, "If it's no problem Ms." Cynthia inwardly smirked, she could tell that the redhead was having trouble maintaining her polite demeanor in front of her. It seemed that the Cerulean Gym Leader had not quite forgiven Cynthia for her outburst in the Police Station the day before. As well she shouldn't, Cynthia knew she had behaved remarkably unprofessionally.

"Alright so we need to get a van; I won't allow any of you to travel alone." Cynthia said, "We have to assume that from now on danger lurks behind every corner, though that shouldn't be too hard to do." She saw May returning with Delia but not with Iris, she shrugged; she didn't really need to talk to Iris and besides, PokéCentres and hospitals were heavily guarded, the black Unovian was in the safest place she could possibly be short of Indigo Plateau. The only reason Cynthia was taking the rest back to Pallet was because she felt that a friendlier environment would make them more at ease, hence making them more open to her. Besides she had told Garchomp to meet up with her at Professor Oak's lab after Max had safely landed in Petalburg.

An hour later and they had pulled into Delia's driveway. They all filed out of a minivan that the G-Men had brought at her request. May had shakily told her the whole story on the way and, while a bit peeved that Misty seemed to have already heard the story and had not told her, she found it very worrying. She just could not figure out who the target must have been.

As Cynthia locked up the van and followed the rest into the house, the Police having cleaned up all the mess and removed any crime scene evidence long ago, she noticed wearily that it was only 3 PM. But Cynthia was tired and she needed rest so she released all her Pokémon and sent them patrolling the house. Then she checked to make sure everyone was safe before collapsing on the couch, hoping to finish this awful day before it got much worse. It only occurred to her that maybe the shit she kept encountering wouldn't end with the sunset, after she received a call from a very alarmed Professor Oak frantically telling her about the horribly wounded and near-death garchomp that had crash landed into his Corral.

**xxxxxxxx**

**_Somewhere; 03/04/2013:_**

It wasn't the freezing cold or the lack of oxygen or even the howling wind that awoke Max, but rather the sound of boots crunching the soft snow in which he lay getting louder. He was lying face down on what appeared to be the coldest damn place on Earth. He tiredly dug his hands into the snow while gasping in the thin air, hoping the ice would soothe his blistered hands. It did so only for a few seconds before the searing pain returned a thousand fold, but Max didn't notice for his attention lay grasped by the two black combat boots in front of him.

He felt two gloved hands reach under his armpits and pull him up onto his feet. As soon as the hands left he almost collapsed but was halted by the hands again. In front of him was a medium-height well-built man that wore a pair of camouflaged cargo trousers and a bulky black hiking jacket with red accents and a furred hood. The man pulled down his hood and snow goggles and the red buff that covered his face from the eyes down. Max gasped, and not because of the thin air, and would have fallen again if not for the man's hands holding his shoulders.

Black, shaggy hair and unkempt stubble with snow-whitened traces outlined the man's weathered and wind torn face. Then, with a friendly expression gracing his face, the man who was the spitting image of an older Ash spoke, "Welcome Max, to Mt. Silver. I apologise for the way Charizard treated you, I hope he didn't frighten you too much, but it really was very important that I meet you," The man paused and waited for a response. When he received none from the shell-shocked boy he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Red, you might've heard of me."

* * *

><p><strong>And there it is, my longest chapter yet, though only by a couple hundred words.<strong>

**First off, regarding the crucifixion scene: While I am not religious, I do realise the religious connotations of having the guy crucified, but please know that I am in no way implying anything. I am simply using crucifixion as a method of torture in this story as it is obviously a very painful experience. The Romans had been crucifying people long before Jesus was and that is the way I intended to use it. I am not comparing the victim in my story to Jesus.**

**So if any of you were offended by it please know it was not my intention to do so.**

**Secondly; you may have noticed the comparison between Sinnoh and Scandinavia, and also my implying Alto Mare city as Italian in the previous chapter (It is actually based off Venice) I know that all the regions are supposed to be based off regions in Japan except for Unova and Kalos, but I have decided to make the Pokémon world as big as ours, so I sort of expanded everything. It is a fictional universe with a fictional continental layout, but each country will be based off real places on Earth.**

**Changes:**

**-I have changed the name of the G-Men Air Services (GAS) to the Custodians, as well as supplied a bit of info on them, mainly just who they're composed of.**

**-Following the new thing I introduced in chapter 1, The residents of Shamouti Island are Servants as well.**

**And that is it.**

**If you are confused about something, or you want to ask me something, please feel free to PM me and I will try my best to reply without giving away spoilers unless you want them.**

**Until next time.**

**-SwallowtheSun**


	5. Chapter 5: The Desolate

**Here it is finally!**

**First things first, in case you've already read this story and missed my update about how I was fine tuning it, you can go to the end of each chapter to find a summary of what's new in that chapter. **

**The most important change is a new scene I added in chapter 3, please refer to the end of chapter 3 if you want some help finding the new scene. It is quite important so I suggest you do read it.**

**Now, the ending of the last chapter confused a few of you I'm sure and though that was my intention, I would just like to point out that I have never stated anywhere in the story that Red is Ash's father.**

**This chapter contains a little less action than the previous, though it does have another torture scene, which, by the way, is a lot rougher than the last chapter's one.**

**This chapter focuses instead on character and story development. I hope it isn't too boring, I had fun writing it, I hope you fun reading it.**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: The Desolate<strong>

_**Lily of the Valley Island; 23/03/2013:**_

The charizard snorted heated smoke out of its nostrils as it flew in a lazy circle above the smoking remains of the stadium. Its passenger grimaced as he saw the carnage spread out below him. There was so much blood, so much that there were actually small waterfalls of the red liquid pouring down what steps remained of the once great stadium. Stringy muscles and tendons lay draped over the horribly distorted shapes of melted plastic chairs and human offal was splattered against the crumbling walls and ceilings. The man even saw a hand gripping the railing that separated the battleground from the spectators. He grimaced again; it was much too small to belong to an adult.

But worst of all was the thick red mist that hung about the entire stadium. How many people had died here to make so much blood mist? "Charizard, Gust," the man quietly ordered. While charizards technically couldn't learn the move, a single flap of their mighty wings could outmatch most Flying Pokémon's Gust. The huge charizard huffed and then flapped its huge, serrated wings, the two wings on its forearms flapping as well to give it an extra shove.

The gust of wind descended upon the stadium, sending the blood mist spiraling out of the way. Flurries of blood vapour splashed against the walls, condensing into liquid and dripping onto the floor, making it look like the walls were weeping tears of blood, the blood of all the people that had died in this forsaken place. When the red air faded the passenger gestured to his charizard to land in the centre of the stadium, where Ash's and Paul's Pokémon would have fought had things happened differently.

The passenger slid off the beast's back and landed with a heavy thud onto the blackened, crystallized sand in the exact middle of the battleground. As he landed he felt a jolt go through his body and the hair on his neck stood on its ends; there was still a lot of static resonating in the stadium from the explosion. With a simple gesture of his hand he sent Charizard back into the skies while he slowly spun in a circle, taking in the carnage that surrounded him. He noticed that he was standing in the centre of a huge black circle, beyond which the sand became red with caked blood.

He realised that this must have been where the explosion had detonated. He stepped forward while looking around for a vantage point; the podiums had been far too close to the centre of the explosion to have survived the blast. He soon found an odd rock protruding out of the sand off to his right but as he moved towards it he felt his foot land on something soft and squidgy. He lifted his foot to find a bloody, yellow, zigzagged tail plastered to the bottom of his boot. He grimaced yet again as he reached down to peel it off and fling it away with is hand, causing a spiral of blood to fly out.

He put the tail from his mind as he made his way up to the rock before leaping onto it with a single bound. His eyes flashed blue as he begun rotating on the spot, surveying the entire stadium for any signs of life. When he completed his circle he sighed in frustration; he had hoped that there would be a survivor. Suddenly his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of a helicopter approaching, he cursed; he was running out of time!

But that was when his ears picked up another sound, a faint breathing coming from… below him? His eyes flashed blue again as he glanced down at the rock upon which he stood. There it was! A faint blue outline of a breathing human! He leapt off the rock before placing two fingers in his mouth and letting out a piercing whistle, which was soon responded by a bestial roar and an earth trembling thud as Charizard fell out of the skies and landed next to him.

"Use Strength on this rock," he commanded quietly, before steeping back and watching as his massive friend gripped the strange rock with its claws and ripped it away, letting it fly off and crash into one of the remaining walls. The man then realised that it had not been a rock, but rather the charred remains of an aggron. The metal exoskeleton had melted away and its rocky form had been blasted apart, making it so that he only recognized the Iron Armour Pokémon when its relatively intact front was revealed by Charizard's Strength.

Where the dead Pokémon had lain was an unconscious, lavender haired man, and he was in a bad shape. One of his arms ended in a bloody stump at his elbow and his face was horribly burnt, sealing half his mouth in fused and melted flesh. Riddling his body were patches of red raw skin and blisters and he seemed to be missing half of his right foot. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

The man bent down and tossed the wounded man over his shoulder before trotting over to Charizard and placing the man upright on the Flame Pokémon's back. Then he climbed up and wrapped his arms around the poor man to keep him steady as Charizard roared once again and leapt up into the air. As Charizard gained altitude the man saw the news helicopter he had heard earlier approaching, as well as the flashing blue and red of fire trucks, police cars and ambulances. He sighed; it was disturbing to know that the ambulances would be going home empty.

It had taken them two days to get to the island and now they had to fly all the way back, he was fortunate that his Charizard could maintain his Mega form indefinitely, otherwise the beast would have been far too tired to make the flight. But what had the man worried was that their new passenger might wake up during those two days, all of his anesthetics were back at his hideout and he wasn't sure that the lavender haired man would make it through the pain if he woke up without being sedated.

"Pick it up Charizard!" The man suddenly yelled frantically as he realised that they were getting dangerously close to the helicopter's field of view. With a grunt that somehow how conveyed the feeling of 'don't tell me what to do you lazy bastard' the Flame Pokémon increased his speed until they almost breached the sound barrier. The man breathed a sigh of relief; had Charizard flown any faster than he had then all the authorities and reporters would have undoubtedly heard the resulting sonic boom, which was something he really wanted to avoid as they would have instantly identified him had they seen him. He was the Pokémon Master after all.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**King's Rock; Orange Archipelago; 03/04/2013:**_

"I must say that I am disappointed, I have been waiting for someone to come forth seeking answers since the events in Sinnoh, I expected you earlier," spoke the Diving Pokémon in a tone that could give a gengar the chills. Jenny swallowed and opened her mouth to speak "I-," before she was interrupted by the huge beast hovering just a few metres from the cave entrance.

"I know why you are here, child. You seek the aid of the Legendary Pokémon in finding and defeating the one you call the Colossus." Jenny, bristling a bit at being called a child, but far too nervous to be truly upset, asked anxiously, "So will you ask them to help us Lugia?" The policewoman became aware of Melody's mortified stare when she heard the girl choking on thin air. She glanced at the maroon haired girl to find her prostrated on the damp cave floor. Jenny glanced incredulously at Slowking who just shrugged with a resigned expression on his face.

"You're speaking to the Guardian of the Seas Jenny! Show some respect!" Jenny bristled at the young Servant girl's tone, and she had thought that Melody was one of the more sensible ones… "He may be Legendary but he's still just a Pokémon! There is more at stake here than your bloody Servant rules." Melody's face went red with anger and she was about to let loose before her Guardian of the Seas interrupted her, "Silence!" the beast roared, causing Melody's face to become whiter than snow. Even Jenny appeared shaken by the Pokémon's command. Slowking just smiled knowingly.

"A hundred thousand people lie dead in empty graves and you bicker as foolish children!" the Pokémon bellowed with the wrath of most tempestuous ocean. Jenny, though trembling and scared witless, stepped forth and asked again in a loud, but shaky, tone, "W-will you ask the Legendaries to h-help us?" she knew that she couldn't let her fear halt her from her task. Like she had said to Melody, there was simply too much at stake.

The beast appeared to calm down, though he still spoke in that gravely stern voice, "I have already spoken with them, child, they will not come." Jenny felt sick, she should have known! Why should they care about petty humans? Humans; who have been raping and pillaging and poaching and torturing and killing for as long as they have existed. Pokémon must think of them as the scum of the earth.

Then Lugia continued, "Until you have the found Chosen One, they will not come." Lugia noticed Jenny's sickly face and chuckled, though it was hard to discern what it was he was doing since it sounded like a quiet crashing, if waterfalls could be said to be quiet that is. "I suppose I should have lead with that," he said humourously, though no one was laughing.

"M-may I ask why?" Jenny said tentatively, her memory of Lugia's reprimand still strong in her mind. "The Chosen One is far more than the saviour of Shamouti Island, which is all that I will tell you at this time; the world is not yet ready to hear the truth of Ash Ketchum. Rest assured though, to face the Colossus, you will need him."

Jenny frowned, "So you will help us defeat the Colossus if we find Ash? I don't understand!" Lugia bared his fangs at the policewoman, causing her to shrink back into the cave in fear; there were a lot of more of them than she expected. "You don't need to understand, you only need to do what I tell you, and what I've told you to do is find the Chosen One!" he growled ominously.

Jenny swallowed, she knew Cynthia would not be pleased if she returned saying that they had to find Ash bloody Ketchum, but her fear of the powerful beast before her finally won over her eagerness to please the Sinnoh Champion. "O-okay, uh, w-where w-w-would we find h-him?" she nervously asked. Lugia smiled a toothy grin which had far too many fangs in it to calm the distressed policewoman. "The summit of Mt. Silver," he said simply.

Jenny paled; what the hell was Ash doing on that desolate and god forsaken place? Bruno had told her about that mountain; it was essentially an Elite graveyard, Elite Pokémon, having become feral again from lack of human contact, preyed on travelers and often injured them seriously, sometimes killing them, making that mountain a death sentence for any fool who dared ascend it. Not to mention the howling blizzards with winds so fast that helicopters could not fly there and gusting ice that could burn exposed flesh and cause almost instant frostbite, or the avalanches that occurred almost daily because so much snow fell every day, or the lack of oxygen because of the dizzying heights that the mountain reached, or even the hidden crevasses that dotted the many glaciers that snaked their way down the mountain.

"M-Mt. Silver?" the policewoman whispered with dread, "Y-you want us to go up there? To the summit?" The Diving Pokémon nodded, "Ash Ketchum's companions will go with you. It will be tough going I know, but that is the point. The Legendary Pokémon need to see the determination of the Chosen One's companions, he will need a lot of faith and support if he is to survive his ordeal." A chill went down Jenny's spine at Lugia's grim tone; what was going to happen to Ash?

But Jenny wasn't finished; she needed to know more if she was going to approach Cynthia with this information. "Why is Ash on Mt. Silver? How did he get up there?"

"The Chosen One is there because we put him there, and I've already told you why! We need to test his companions!" Lugia growled, causing Jenny to wince once again; this Guardian of the Seas was a really grumpy Pokémon! "Now, I will not answer any more foolish questions, so leave and do what you've been told. I have to go now, there's a lot to be done in order to prepare the Chosen One." With that, Lugia suddenly flapped his huge hand-like wings and soared into the pale blue sky, going so high that he disappeared from Jenny's view all together.

The policewoman groaned; that had not gone well.

#########

When Jenny stepped off the boat and onto the docks of Shamouti, she was immediately approached by her 7 foot boyfriend, who quickly sidestepped as Melody stiffly brushed past him. He frowned as he reached Jenny, "What's wrong with her then?" he asked the frustrated policewoman. She sighed, "Blasphemy apparently, she didn't like the way I addressed Lugia." Bruno smiled widely and his eyes twinkled in excitement, sometimes Jenny though that he was just a kid in a big body… a _big _body… "So you spoke to him then? What was he like? Was he awesome? I bet he was awesome," he spoke animatedly.

Jenny grunted, "Not quite, he was a bit of an arsehole actually, very rude and _very _grumpy." Bruno's face faltered as he stared in disbelief at his girlfriend, before his smile returned tenfold and he began laughing uproariously. "An arsehole?! Only you darling, only you would have the balls to call a Legendary Pokémon an arsehole!" Jenny felt her frustration melt away as the contagious laughter bubbled up through her mouth too. The nervousness remained though; she hoped her new boyfriend wouldn't be too disappointed with the way things had gone down.

As if Bruno had read her mind, his laughter died down and he asked the very question Jenny was dreading, "But he's going to help us right?" Jenny chuckled nervously and started rubbing her arm, "Uhh… sort of? Soon?" she said hesitantly, fearing her boyfriend's disappointment. He frowned, "What do you mean? Will they come?"

Jenny sighed, "I'm sorry Bruno, but Lugia said that the Legendaries will only help us once we find Ash… on Mt. Silver…" Bruno hummed while stroking his chin, pondering the news, "Hmm… Well Cynthia won't be happy about that… Did he mention why we have to find Ash?" Jenny shook her head, "Not really no, he said that Ash was the Chosen One and that he is the key to defeating the Colossus, but nothing more than that, like I said he was very rude."

Bruno remained there stroking his chin and staring into the sunset before his smile returned, "Oh well, it's better than nothing, I'm sure you did your best Jenny." Jenny sighed in relief; at least her boyfriend wasn't angry with her! Suddenly Bruno's phone began ringing; he fished it out of his pocket and became puzzled when he saw the caller ID. "Cynthia again? Perhaps she found out what happened in Pallet," he muttered to himself, confusing Jenny who knew nothing about the events in Pallet, before answering the call and putting it on speaker phone so that Jenny could hear as well.

It wasn't long until there was no colour left in either of their faces as Cynthia told them about both what had happened to Cilan, and the wounded garchomp and the 15 year old kid it was supposed to have been carrying.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Professor Oak's Corral: 03/04/2013:**_

Gible sighed from within his spherical home; it wasn't that it was uncomfortable, far from it actually, it was just that this was the last place he wanted to be.

Gible had _not _had a good couple of days… After Professor Oak had released him and scolded him for biting that blonde woman, he had returned to his usual haunt, namely the small cave next to the pond that Oshawott liked to relax in, the one the blonde woman had been laying by, and found out that his best friend had evolved into Dewott. This made Gible furious as not only had Oshawott been weaker than him, but he hadn't even been training when he evolved. It was so unfair!

Gible knew that something needed to be done as training alone was obviously not working, so he had immediately sought out Bulbasaur as he knew that the Seed Pokémon was the oldest and most experienced Pokémon of Ash's in the Corral. After the usual lecture about how he didn't need to evolve and how he mustn't feel pressurized by other Pokémon to evolve, etc. etc. Bulbasaur had eventually told him some interesting news.

Apparently there had been sightings of an old Pokémon of Ash's, one of his first actually, in the Corral. It was just a rumour that had been going around but Gible hadn't really been sure what a rumour was, so as soon as Bulbasaur had told him about it he had set off in search for the Pokémon. While it wasn't technically a Dragon Pokémon, it apparently had all the physical qualities of one and could even learn several Dragon type moves, so Gible figured that this Dragon that was not a Dragon could help him evolve. Especially after hearing Bulbasaur say that it was reputed to be Ash's strongest Pokémon.

He had spent the remainder of that day searching for the Dragon that was not a Dragon and had found nothing. So he had woken up bright and early the next day and, after biting Dewott's head for having the audacity to evolve before him, set out again in search of the elusive Dragon that was not a Dragon. It was when the afternoon had begun to fade into evening, while he was contemplating the meaning of 'rumour', that he heard a powerful roar split the skies above the Corral. He had glanced up at the sky in excitement, hoping to see the Dragon that was not a Dragon, but instead he had seen something that was _definitely_ a Dragon.

Gible had watched as the garchomp began to lose altitude at an amazing pace. After the garchomp had smashed into the ground near the cave where he lived, tearing a long rend into the earth and causing a cloud of soil and dust to erupt into the air, Gible had excitedly sprinted his way to the landing site. But when he had arrived there he noticed that the Mach Pokémon was not awake and not matter his prodding the beast did not stir.

Gible had then recalled his success in alerting that blonde woman to his presence and so decided to apply the same tactics with the garchomp. But as he had leapt from the ground, maw open and fangs out, he felt the red beam connect with him again before pulling him away.

Which was how he had ended up in that damn PokéBall again.

#########

To say that Cynthia was worried was an understatement; actually it was just plain inaccurate, Cynthia was writhing in anxiety as she skid the minivan into Professor Oak's driveway. She got out and slammed the door behind her, causing the windows to rattle before storming into the lab and out again into the Corral, while everyone was still filing out of the minivan.

She scanned about wildly until she saw the unmistakable shape of Professor Oak and his grandson standing on what appeared to be a huge mound of upturned earth. The distressed Pokémon Champion rushed towards them but as soon as she saw what they stood by she let loose a horrified cry and fell to her knees beside her first Pokémon. She shakily stretched her hand out to the unconscious Dragon Pokémon and sobbed when she gently touched the bloody rends that carved their way down his face and across his right eye.

She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the wounded beast's head as she buried her face into his coarse skin. She barely heard the shocked gasps of everyone else as they arrived on the scene or the sympathetic words of the professor and his grandson as she cried for her injured friend. The others all watched sadly as the Champion grieved for her wounded friend, but an emotion they felt far more strongly than sympathy was fear.

Cynthia's garchomp had never been seen to lose a battle, sure when she had started out as a rookie trainer her gible would have undoubtedly lost a few, but since becoming famous, it had not. So to see the awesome beast in such a bad state was alarming to say the least; what could have done this?! None were more disturbed than May and Drew though, the former because she feared for her brother since Garchomp was supposed to be with him, and the latter because once again, he was learning what Pokémon were truly capable of.

Eventually the Champion pulled back and wiped her eyes before they turned a steely gray with fury. She noticed that Gary had in his hand a Pokétch, not just any Pokétch though, Max's Pokétch. She stood up slowly and with a quietly furious voice, she spoke. "Is there anything on that Gary?" Gary jumped at being spoken to in such an ominous tone but then composed himself and replied, "There might be, but this thing's waterlogged, I'll have to hook it up to a computer to see for sure." Cynthia nodded, "Professor, do you have an EmerBall I can use?" she asked the elderly man quietly.

The old man nodded and reached into his coat to retrieve a plain white PokéBall with a red cross on the top half, he tossed the Emergency Ball, a special PokéBall that could recall an owned Pokémon in a situation where said Pokémon was unconscious or grievously injured and its PokéBall was not present, to Cynthia who then recalled the unconscious Mach Pokémon by her feet. She glanced at the ball with a sorrowful expression etched upon her face, "I had hoped never to use one of these on one of my own…" she whispered sadly as her anger dulled.

The Sinnoh Champion composed herself once more as her anger returned and she pocketed the ball before nodding to Gary, who nodded in reply and turned around to head back to the lab with Max's Pokétch in his hand. Everyone began shuffling after the young researcher, but Drew paused as the blonde Champion muttered to him as she walked by, "Keep an eye on May, I suspect whatever's on that thing will be hard for her to see."

Drew nodded determinedly and rushed up to his girlfriend before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her towards him. May hardly seemed to notice as her panicked mind rushed through all the possibilities of what she was about to see.

A few minutes passed and everyone was seated around the big TV in the lounge, to which Gary had hooked up the computer with which he had managed to salvage the data on Max's Pokétch. They waited with bated breath as the researcher flicked through various snowstorm channels until Gary's desktop was seen. Everyone drew a deep breath and tried to steady their nerves, none more so than Cynthia and May, as Gary pulled up the video he had found on the Pokétch. But no amount of preparation could have readied them for what they were about to witness.

Several gasps and one sob were heard as Max's tear stricken and rain lashed face appeared on the screen and Drew immediately pulled his girlfriend towards him as she stared in horror at the screen.

"Cynthia! I-I've been attacked by a ch-charizard! I think it was Colossal! Garchomp and I are the only survivors from your jet, Ville is…" the people in the room watched in silent sorrow as the young boy choked and renewed tears came streaming down his face, before gasping once again as they glimpsed a massive orange beast hovering behind the boy before it disappeared behind black clouds again. But three people were absolutely shell shocked, and those three were Cynthia, Delia and Professor Oak. They recognized that Pokémon; a few people had been seen with a Mega-Charizard X, but only one person in the entire world had ever been seen with a Mega-Charizard Y, and that person was the Pokémon Master, Red.

"Ville is… h-he didn't make it. But the charizard that attacked the plane is dead! It was killed by another one, but this new one is even more powerful! Your Garchomp didn't stand a chance… Cynthia… I think it might be one of those Mega-Charizards you spoke of… I-I think it might be the same one that attacked Lance."

May screamed and began openly weeping as the others paled. Cynthia cursed; she should have known! She had been wrong; whoever had attacked Lance _was _targeting the Elites, or was it G-Men Council Members? Or perhaps just Champions? There was just too much she didn't know! Her thoughts were interrupted by Max.

"I'm telling Garchomp to take this message to you… the charizard wants me alive and it won't kill Garchomp needlessly!" The boy paused as he began sobbing and the residents of the room witnessed once again that horrifying shape emerging out of the clouds behind him, only this time it never faded away. They watched in horror as massive claws stretched towards Max as he began screaming, "Please Cynthia! Help me! Find me and save me! I don't want to die! PLEASE!" May screamed again as the claws wrapped around her baby brother and yanked him away, his last lingering cry of help fading as he did into the rolling black clouds, "HELP MEEEE!"

May's voice became hoarse as she wept her heart out into Drew's chest before screaming, this time in anger, as she pushed away her boyfriend, strode to Cynthia and slapped her hand hard across the shocked Champion's face. Cynthia did nothing and May slapped her again, and again, and again and again and again. Eventually, as Cynthia's face became numb with pain and everyone else rushed forward to stop the distraught girl, Drew pulled May back into his embrace and stroked her head soothingly as she fell apart in his arms.

Cynthia moved her jaw as feeling returned to her face, though she wished it hadn't; her face stung as if a swarm of beedrills had taken offence to it. She deserved it of course, which was why she hadn't stopped the onslaught, but that didn't make the pain feel any better. She glanced sorrowfully at the broken girl in Drew's arms before looking around at everyone else. They were all as pale as ghosts and most of the women had a few tears rolling down the cheeks, most of the men did as well, even Tracey.

The G-Men Officer realised with a flinch that tears were carving their way down her face too. She gritted her teeth; she should have been with him! Because of her misjudgement an innocent kid may end up dead. The tears became too much and she placed her head into her hands as she began to cry, she was doing that a lot today it seemed, she hadn't cried since she was a little girl.

Her cries became worse as she heard May whisper over and over again, "It should've been you…" the girl was right, it _should've _been her. But then May said something that made Cynthia raise her head in realisation. "That… that thing wanted you… but now it has my brother instead…" the distraught girl had said, but the charizard had taken Max alive, as Max had suspected it would, which meant that somehow it had known that Max had been on the plane and that the plane would be attacked.

Cynthia suddenly recalled the sabotaged fuel tank of her jet. There was no way that that was a coincidence, whoever had sabotaged the plane must have done so, so that the original charizard had enough time to get into position to attack it far away enough from civilisation. She had wondered who could be skilled enough to slip past the watchful eyes of her Custodian escorts and it now occurred to her that a Colossal Ghost or Dark or even Psychic Pokémon probably could. Whoever had sent the charizard that attacked the plane was certain to have more than one Colossal Pokémon.

But the charizard that had taken Max, the one that had killed the original one, was without a doubt Red's, which meant that the Pokémon Master had to be alive. And that made the blonde Champion absolutely furious; had Delia and the Oaks told her the truth about Red in the first place then perhaps she could have prepared! Because of their silence an innocent kid had been taken and her first Pokémon had been grievously injured!

As her rage amplified, her cries died down and she stood up slowly. "Mrs. Ketchum and Misters Oak," she said ominously, the three mentioned snapped their heads towards the furious blonde with eyes widening in realisation upon hearing her tone, they knew what this was about. Cynthia took a deep breath and rubbed her face, which still stung from May's assault, before exploding in anger, "That was Red's Charizard, which means that Red isn't dead! You kept Red's secrets in the hopes that I would think he is the Colossus and not Ash, and then you told me he was dead only after I had ascertained who the Colossus is! Well I had never known for sure who Lance's murderer was! And now I have to assume that it is Red! I could've prepared for Red, but I didn't because I thought he was dead! Your failure to tell me about him has resulted in Max being taken! If that little boy dies, his blood is on your hands! And my Garchomp!" Cynthia paused with a sob, "My first Pokémon!" the furious blonde trailed off as she reflected on her Pokémon's state.

The room stood shocked to silence, except for May's sniffling. Then Delia's lip quivered, her eyes welled up with fresh tears, and then she broke down into a weeping mess. Losing her son to the unknown had broken her, losing her Pokémon to brutal murder had shattered her and now being named responsible for an innocent kid's kidnapping obliterated her.

Professor Oak slowly walked over to Delia before rubbing her shoulder soothingly while Gary just stood with his head down, eyes and fists clenched. Cynthia sneered at them and was about continue berating them when she heard a strong voice speak up, "You're wrong." The blonde Champion snapped her head to the source to find that it was Misty who had spoken.

The Gym Leader continued, "You said that a Colossal charizard attacked Lance, Max said that a Colossal charizard attacked your plane but then it was killed by this new charizard afterwards, which you say is Red's. Surely the charizard that attacked your plane must be the same one that attacked Lance, thinking it was you inside. If that's the case then that means that Red's charizard saved Max from Lance's killer. I don't know why it took Max but the kid said himself that the charizard wouldn't kill your garchomp needlessly; Lance's murderer wouldn't have given two shits about your Pokémon. The only reason your Pokémon got injured is because it would have undoubtedly put a fight. If that really is Red's charizard, then you should be counting your blessings that Garchomp survived at all. And, be honest Ms. Lawson, even if Red _was _killing Elites and you knew it, there would still be nothing you could've done."

The blonde Champion stared in surprise at the confident young Gym Leader, her anger long since faded away. She glanced around and noticed everyone else had somewhat similar reactions; Daisy was smiling proudly at her little sister while both May and Delia stared at her with hope. Cynthia smirked mentally, she liked this girl, plenty of things could be said about the toughest Gym Leader in Kanto but stupid was not one of them. Suddenly a piercing squeal ricocheted around the room, "Like, Sis! You're like _so_ smart!" Cynthia winced; her sister was not so fortunate though. She returned her attention to the now blushing red-head, the girl could have a future in the G-Men if she kept showing such promise, especially if she did join the Elite Four like everyone was saying she should.

Cynthia realised that she should probably say something, she really hadn't done a very good job in befriending these people during the past couple of days, she just had too loose a temper. "Well done Ms. Waterflower, that's the kind of thinking we need to be using, I only wish I could rationalise as well as you." Everybody stared in shock at the Sinnoh Champion's complete turnaround in attitude, while Misty blushed even brighter. Cynthia smirked inwardly, sucking up was highly underrated these days.

The blonde then turned her attention to the Pallet trio, or more specifically, to Delia, "I'm sorry for what I said Delia, but the fact remains that Red is alive, so you still lied to me, a G-Men Officer and Council Member," she said solemnly. Delia nodded warily; she wondered where this was going. Cynthia continued, now referring to all three of the Pallet natives, "Now you three obviously know something about Red that you don't want to divulge to me, in any other situation that would be fair enough, but a Pokémon of Red's has kidnapped the son of a Gym Leader and I need you to tell me everything you know about the Pokémon Master, Max's life could be on the line."

May whimpered into Drew's chest as she heard that last bit, drawing the attention of the Pallet trio as they gazed sadly at her. Then, while still watching the distraught brunette, Delia spoke, "We will help you, the Professor and I will tell you all about Red, Gary knows only what we've told him, he isn't ready to hear the whole truth." Gary looked at Delia in confusion, who avoided his eyes, then looked at his grandfather who only shook his head slowly at him with a guilty expression upon his face. Cynthia was surprised by the amount of pain and anger that suddenly built up in the young researcher's eyes before he closed them and stormed off.

Cynthia glanced at Professor Oak, who was looking in the direction that Gary had gone with sorrow and guilt etched in his eyes. What was all that about? She shrugged, family spats were no concern of hers, even those of the Oak family. Cynthia began staring at Delia thoughtfully, the auburn-haired mother had lied to her before and she hoped that this time Delia would finally unveil everything, but there were a few things to do first.

"Very well," she said slowly, "I first need to ask you a favour Professor, can you heal Garchomp?" The elderly researcher nodded; one of the many requirements of achieving the highly acclaimed 'Regional Professor' status was a medical degree in doctoring both humans and Pokémon. "Just give me the EmerBall and I will make sure he gets the treatment he needs," the professor said while hobbling over to her.

Cynthia retrieved the ball and tenderly handed it over to the professor who then shuffled his way into to the medical bay of the lab. Cynthia then addressed the rest of the residents of the room, "I will set the rest of my Pokémon patrolling both Delia's house and this lab, and the route between. You can all do what you want so long as you stay in those areas, we have enough missing people as it is," she said.

They all nodded before dispersing their separate ways; Misty gestured to Drew, who was still holding May, to follow her before she disappeared out the front door, heading back to Delia's, and Daisy and Tracey wandered off to the Watcher's room within the lab. Before the Hoenn couple could exit the lab Cynthia halted them, "May…" The brunette looked back and Cynthia saw the pain and worries in her eyes. At least her anger had faded. "I'm sorry May, you're right, it should've been me. But I promise you, I'm going to get him back, no matter what." Cynthia said with fire in both her eyes and her voice, and for once, she truly meant it.

May stared at the Champion for a few seconds before nodding slightly and turning away, reentering Drew's embrace and leaving the lab. Soon only Delia was left who awkwardly stood there while nervously glancing at Cynthia. Cynthia just stared impassively at the auburn haired mother for a while, intending to unsettle her a little more. Although she had apologised for losing her temper and been all polite and lovey-dovey, she was still very shaken at both Max's and her garchomp's state, and despite Misty's assurance that even had she known Red would take Max and hurt Garchomp there was nothing she could have done, she couldn't help but to feel a bit of resentment towards the woman standing before her. But anger and spite would get her nowhere; she needed to be the very essence of forgiveness and humility to get Delia to willingly talk to her.

So the blonde G-Men Officer smiled soothingly, "I need to do few things which will likely take a while so why don't you head home and try to relax a bit. Have a nap, you look you need one," she said slightly enviously, she really needed one herself, she couldn't even remember how long she'd been awake.

Delia smiled gratefully and nodded, "Ok Cynthia…" she took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for lying to you Cynthia, I meant no disrespect, it's just that Red's past isn't a pleasant one and the Professor and I have tried to put it behind us. Had we known that keeping it from you would seriously impede on your investigation, we'd have told you right from the beginning."

Cynthia, though intrigued, just smiled gently and shook her head, "Don't worry Delia, everyone is entitled to his or her privacy and secrets, especially famous people. I know that I wouldn't like my secrets being made known, I can't imagine Red would appreciate it either, or you for that matter. When I come back we can take all the time we need to get through this, alone," she said friendlily.

Delia smiled and nodded again before departing. Cynthia, finally alone, breathed deeply; these people… She wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the couch before her and drift away into sleep, but she knew she couldn't, so with great effort she pulled herself away from those heavenly looking couches and headed in the direction Gary had gone. She eventually came upon a door with a poster of a very provocatively posed topless woman that would've been pornographic were it not that the woman was cradling her breasts in her hands.

Cynthia smirked wryly, this was definitely Gary Oak's room. But her smile soon slipped off her face when she leaned in for a closer look; the woman looked an awful lot like her… she had heard of these celebrity look-alike adult film stars… Was there a doppelganger of her out there who was videotaping herself messing around with men? Or women? Should she be flattered or horrified if there was?

She was still leaning forward and inspecting the poster when the door suddenly swung open, revealing Gary's tearstained face. Cynthia blushed and straightened herself while Gary jolted in surprise before returning to his sombre state and muttering, "Was there something you needed Ms. Lawson?"

Cynthia frowned at Gary's depressed tone but then she shrugged, Gary could mope all he wanted so long as he did what she asked and besides, he probably wouldn't appreciate her getting her nose into his personal problems. She dispelled her frown and instead put on her most charming smile, known to make men's hearts race and their knees to weaken, and asked in a husky voice, "I was wondering if you could give me a copy of Max's message, I need to send it in to my colleagues."

Gary, affected by Cynthia's charm even despite his gloom, nodded quickly, "O-of course Ms. Lawson, I'll just get my laptop from the lounge, I was going to there to get it anyway." As Gary stepped passed the blonde beauty and headed down the hallway back to the lounge, Cynthia trailed after him with a smirk on her face; being so desirable had its perks sometimes. She glanced at the poster on Gary's door before it disappeared around the corner; 'flattered' was what came to mind.

#########

As Drew followed Misty, trudging down the graveled path towards Mrs. Ketchum's house, he didn't even notice the redhead's gently swaying rear, as fine though it was, as he tightened his hold on his distraught girlfriend, which was true testament as to how strange the normally arrogant Coordinator was feeling. May's head was still resting on his chest as she cried, her tears wetting his shirt. But he didn't mind at all, which he found surprising as, in the past, he hadn't really been the most empathetic person in the world.

Never let it be said that Drew Hayden had ever had trouble getting a girlfriend, it was keeping them that was the problem. Drew struggled to empathize with people, the classic trait of a spoilt brat, so he often came across as callous and rude. Even when May had been mourning the loss of Dawn and Brock, he had failed to understand why she needed so much time to get over it, eventually getting a bit fed up with May's constant crying and sulking.

But it was different this time he found, he genuinely cared about what happened to Max and he felt the pain that May was going through. Only a fraction of it, but it was enough for Drew to realise how much he truly cared about his girlfriend, he had learned how to empathize.

But what was different? Why did he suddenly feel this way? Had what had happened last night really shaken him up that much? Drew smiled as he realised that it didn't matter why he felt this way, the only thing that mattered was that he did. Was that love? When you didn't need a reason to make a person smile? When you only needed to know that you would in a heartbeat?

Maybe it was… And that didn't scare Drew as much as he had thought it would. If he really was in love with May then so be it, and as he buried his face in May's hair and tightened his grip around her, he realised that he would help in any way to find her younger brother, even if that meant climbing the highest mountain.

Perhaps he should be more careful what he wished for.

#########

After Misty and the Hoenn couple had arrived at Delia's house the redhead had immediately pulled May out into the garden, while Drew, obviously sensing that his girlfriend needed a bit of girl time, had planted himself down on the settee and turned on the TV. So, as the two women had watched the glorious Pallet sunset, they had spoken about everything from celebrity crushes to their Pokémon, even going so far as to have a friendly battle.

May had sent out Venusaur, obviously hoping to gain the typing advantage, while Misty had sent out Politoed. The battle had ended rather quickly but Misty had to admit that, for a Coordinator, May was not a bad battler. But Misty wasn't known as the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto for nothing. But despite her loss, May appreciated the battle as it had taken her mind of things for a while.

After May had gone to bed, Misty remained outside in the chilly evening air, the cold not affecting her too much. As the red of sunset faded and the indigo of night took over, the stars began to shine brightly, lighting up the sky like a Christmas tree. Misty lay down on the grass and sighed as she beheld the stunning view made available by the lack of light pollution in the small rural town of Pallet.

She thought back on the dream she had had that morning and a few tears sprung to life, blurring her vision so that the white dots in the night sky became shining beacons of light. She, like Delia, feared for Ash deeply. She was obviously relieved that Ash had been proven innocent of the crimes of the Colossus, but that didn't change the fact that Ash might be dead, or at least in the clutches of a maniacal terrorist. She honestly didn't know which was worse…

No, that was a lie, Ash being dead was far worse, no matter what the Colossus may be doing to Ash. Misty realised that that was a bit selfish, but how could she not feel that way? She'd take the chance of the raven head that had stolen her heart being alive over being dead any day, and she knew she wasn't the only one who would. Which was why she was going to do whatever it took to find him and when she did, she was going to give him a few good knocks with her trusty mallet for making everyone worry, then bring him home to his mother and, after the celebrations had ended, she was going to kiss him so hard that even if he didn't reciprocate her feelings, no girl he ever kissed could match the stubborn redhead from Cerulean.

#########

Cynthia groaned in fury and fatigue as she stepped through the threshold of Delia Ketchum's front door and saw the tantalising couch beckoning to her. Exhaustion, fueled by the last lingering rays of gold and red on the horizon, was slowly clouding her mind, dulling even her substantial anger and she knew that if she didn't get some sleep soon she would collapse. She noticed Drew had fallen asleep on the single settee and Misty was lying on the grass outside. She sighed, everybody around her was relaxing and it was becoming increasingly hard not to give in to the temptation.

But there was still too much to do! After emailing Max's video to the other Council Members using Gary's laptop and checking up on Garchomp, whom the Professor had said was still recovering, she had called Bruno informing him and Jenny of what happened to Max and Cilan.

But it was what they told her that had really brought her anger bubbling up to the surface again. Though, if she was being honest, she had kind of expected something like that; Lugia was a Legendary after all. She was a Council Member of the G-Men _and_ she was the Champion of Sinnoh, she was literally one of the most powerful women in the world, so she obviously had to keep track and remain knowledgeable of the most powerful beings in existence. She had read every documented encounter with a Legendary, a significant number of them involving a certain raven haired Trainer who always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she had sort of become accustomed to how they worked. She held no resentment towards Jenny for how she handled the situation because honestly, Cynthia doubted she herself could have done any better.

A Legendary would usually send the person fortunate enough to have encountered them on some dangerous and difficult undertaking, leaving them with cryptic instructions and commands that usually made no sense at all, and expecting them to complete said undertaking to perfection, perhaps encountering a Legendary wasn't so much fortunate as incredibly unfortunate… So when she had sent Bruno and Jenny to go and ask for Lugia's aid, she had sort of expected something dangerous to come out of it.

But Mt. Silver? Seriously?! The Summit no less?! Just to find Ash bloody Ketchum?! Now that she knew that Ash was neither the Colossus nor Lance's killer, finding him was, while still relatively important, no longer a priority, though she would never tell his friends and family that. Cynthia just could not see what help Ash could be in finding and confronting the Colossus, sure he had become quite a formidable Pokémon Trainer but pitching him against the Colossus? Not a chance.

Cynthia sighed and planted herself onto the couch, ignoring the chilly draft coming from the broken window in the living room, and began mentally sorting through the possibilities currently available.

Cynthia began to consider ignoring Lugia's instructions entirely and focusing on more fruitful pursuits, such as finding Max, and hence Red. And, after beating the shit out of the Pokémon Master for hurting her garchomp, she could try to recruit him to their cause. After all, who better to face a Colossus than the original one?

But this would be no easy task, she knew. First they had to find a man that had been missing for twenty years, then they had to get him to join them, which he might be opposed to seeing how he blatantly attacked her Pokémon and kidnapped a Gym Leader's son, and _then_ they had to send him up against the only other Pokémon Trainer in the world known to have Alpha Rank Pokémon, the Colossus…

So now she had two choices: join Ash Ketchum's companions on a journey to the Summit of the biggest and most dangerous mountain in the world, a feat that had never been accomplished by anyone ever, never mind by young adults barely past their teenage years, to find Ash and then recruit the Legendaries to their cause, which wasn't even definite given the Legendaries' penchant for going back on their word.

Or: ignore the Legendaries and go searching for a man whom they were no closer to finding than they were twenty years ago, try and avoid being killed by him and then try and recruit _him_ to their cause, which again, wasn't definitely possible.

Talk about a rock and a hard place… Cynthia sighed again and stretched out on the couch. Honestly, even with the large number of potential screw ups, she was leaning towards the second choice more. Though that might be because of her responsibility to rescue Max and kick Red's arse for hurting Garchomp. She sat up suddenly as she remembered that she still had to talk to Delia about Red.

She smirked; well that made the choice a bit easier didn't it. She felt certain that the information that Delia could provide must be something special if only the auburn haired mother and the Professor knew of it. The mystery of Pokémon Master Red would be one step closer to being unraveled when she spoke to Delia, a prospect that would have been exciting even without its relevance to the situation.

But first she just needed to rest her eyes for a couple of minutes; it wouldn't do to fall asleep in the middle of Delia's interview now would it?

When Delia awoke in the morning and made her way to the kitchen to brew herself a cup of coffee and start cooking breakfast, she found the blonde Champion softly snoring away on her couch. She smiled before grabbing a duvet from the cupboard and laying it over the tired woman, her fear and slight dislike of the younger woman overshadowed by her generosity as a host.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Petalburg City; Maple Household; 03/04/2013:**_

Far away in the distant tropical region of Hoenn, Caroline Maple was making her son's favourite food, namely Kalosian crepes with nutty chocolate paste and cinnamon. She sighed as she realised that by the time Max arrived in Hoenn he would undoubtedly be utterly jetlagged and exhausted and may not even be hungry enough to eat her crepes; it was difficult to remember that your children were in a country several hours ahead. Indeed, it would late afternoon in Kanto and it was only morning here in Hoenn.

Oh well, she could always store them in the fridge for later if Max wasn't hungry, though she'd have to make sure her husband didn't get his greedy hands on them. She grinned as she reflected on her husband's voracious appetite that he always seemed to have after a long day at the Gym. She blushed; sometimes his appetite transcended food and was brought into the bedroom, though she couldn't really complain about that. Though since the destruction of the Conference in Sinnoh her husband hadn't been getting many challengers; Pokémon training around the world had sort of temporarily stopped in the aftermath of the disaster.

She finished up the crepes and packed them away into the fridge before making her way over to the couch in the lounge and turning on the TV. She picked up the remote and flicked through various channels until stopping on the news channel. There was a report about a plane that had crashed near Silver Town, what was peculiar about the incident was that only the front half of the plane had been found, proving that this was no ordinary plane crash. Apparently not far from the crash site they found a dead charizard, its belly torn open and its neck snapped, but the forensic scientists could not determine what Pokémon the claw marks down the charizard's belly and shoulders belonged to.

It was turning into quite a mystery and Caroline was getting quite into it when the phone suddenly rang, causing her to jump in shock and put her hand over her heart. She composed herself and stood up, walking over to the house phone and picking it up, "Maple Residence," she said politely. When her husband's boss Steven, spoke his cold greeting, "Hello Mrs. Maple," she immediately winced. Like many others, she found the Hoenn Champion's lack of emotion slightly disturbing. "Mr. Stone! Would you like to speak to my husband? You'll have to call the Gym, he's not here right now."

"No that's fine Ma'am, I'll give him a ring later. I'm just calling to tell you that your son Max will not be arriving home today and he won't be for a while," he said ever so dispassionately. Caroline frowned, "What? Why? What's wrong?" "Nothing is wrong Mrs. Maple, there is no cause for alarm. The Council has decided that we the G-Men are to watch over all peoples who have had extensive contact with Ash Ketchum during his journey around the world. All of his other companions are under the direct supervision of Sinnoh Champion Cynthia in Kanto, but since Max is here in Hoenn I have put in into the care of my Elites. He will be safe in Ever Grande, Ash will struggle to reach him there."

Caroline didn't understand, "If Max is under such threat then why did you allow him to leave Kanto in the first place? Why not keep him with Cynthia?" Silence rang out for a few moments before she heard Steven sigh, she almost gasped; Steven had just shown a flicker of emotion?! Her shock was short lived however as Steven soon spoke, actually sounding a tad irritated. "This information is not be repeated to anyone other than your husband, if I find out that you have been telling other people what I am about to tell you, your husband will lose his job. Do you understand?"

Caroline paled at Steven's threatening tone before shakily answering, "Y-Yes M-Mr. Stone." "Very well," she heard him say, "the Champion of Johto and Johtonian representative of the Council, Lance Wilson, was murdered last night by the Colossus, whom we believe is Ash Ketchum. Perhaps you have heard of a recent plane crash near Silver Town, that was Lance's plane and it happened after Max had already left for Hoenn. Since the depths of the Ketchum's power and unpredictability has been displayed to us we feel we need to make certain that Ketchum's companions are all kept safe and so as soon as Max's plane lands in Petalburg I must ask that you do not go to the airport to greet him. Doing so could make you a target for Ketchum."

Caroline's face became whiter than snow as she became very worried for her child, but she appreciated the Council trying to look out for her children. "Ok Mr. Stone I understand, thank you for looking after my son, please keep him safe" she said gratefully. "Will do Mrs. Maple, it's no problem, thank you for understanding." Arceus, even when grateful he sounded like he was reading out a manifesto.

As Steven hung up Caroline sighed in disappointment, she had really been looking forward to spending some time with Max, and she wanted to cheer him up before he left to continue on his journey. She had seen how the disaster in Sinnoh had affected both her children and it had pained her greatly that they suffering because of the actions of that man. She knew that May blamed Ash for what happened to Dawn but she herself hadn't really known what to make of it, she wasn't sure if Ash really was the one who had killed all those people or not, but the G-Men seemed pretty certain that he was.

As Caroline opened the fridge and grabbed one of the crepes she had made, she wondered how she was going to break the news to her husband. She winced; he was not going to be happy.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Somewhere; 04/04/2013:**_

Blue grinned when he saw his victim's back, Alakazam had once again done a fine job, there was no scar or disrupted tissue to be seen under the dull fluorescent lights of the hallway as Blue pushed him along. "How are you today Mr. Ketchum?" Blue asked sinisterly. The man only groaned in reply, the stub that was all that remained of his tongue rattled in his mouth as he tried to from the curses he wanted to yell at his torturer.

Blue laughed at the victim's torment and said cruelly, "I'm doing fine myself if you were wondering; I've decided that I've unlocked my true calling as a history teacher after yesterday's lesson, they do say that the best teachers teach by example after all," the Team Rocket boss barked a laugh before continuing, "so I'm going to be giving you another history lesson today." The sick man laughed gleefully as he saw the look of terror upon his victim's face.

"But first, I've decided that perhaps I should tell you what I want with your son" Blue said, "You see, there an essence, a life force if you will, that flows through all living beings, giving our muscles the strength to do their respective purposes, such as beat blood around our bodies, move one leg in front of the other, lift our arms, give our brains the ability to relay electronic messages to our body in order to move. Basically the only reason a living being lives is because of this life force that flows through them."

"Now, there were a group of ancient warriors who, long ago, learned how to manipulate this life force into physical matter, using it to create weapons and shields on the spot, or to heal grievous injuries and enhance all of their senses and empower their muscles. This physical form of the life force is known as Aura, you may have heard of it."

Blue grinned as he saw recognition flash through the man's eyes, he continued, "Now not a lot is known about these Aura Guardians, as they became known, only that something awful happened to them and they were almost brought to extinction. Those who remained managed to pass down their ability to manipulate Aura, but as genetic inheritance is always a bit unstable, the Aura gene became recessive in the majority of their descendants, only becoming dominant every few generations or so. In fact the last documented user of Aura was a certain man called Aaron, Aaron Ketchum."

Blue smiled again and began laughing at the victim's expression of shock and realisation. "Yes, you're ancestor was the last Aura Guardian, at least he was until twenty years ago, when your son was born. I've heard tell that while the Aura gene lies dormant within you; your son's is dominant. The amazing thing is that, even though your gene is dormant, I can still see the effects of it on you: you age much slower! Your muscle takes less time to build and more time to deteriorate, your senses are without a doubt almost perfect. That is why I want your son, if such power can affect you so much when dormant; imagine what you could do with the power when it is fully active! And your son may not know it yet but he has this power, and I want it!" he said ominously

He noticed the victim's look of fear and cackled, his laughs echoing down the long hallways of his base. Eventually his laughs died down but his sinister expression remained as he pushed the mute man into the same room where he had been crucified, but instead of the wooden structure awaiting him, were two posts situated a metre and a half away from each other, a sharp axe, a jar of salt and the kabutops that had cut off his tongue.

"Enough about the Aura Guardians," Blue said, "today's history lesson is about the Vikings, brutal and hard warriors originating from the mountains and lochs in the north of Sinnoh. You see they, like the Romans, believed in several gods that watched over them. The Vikings believed that the greatest and most honourable thing that could happen to a man was when he was killed during combat and sent to Valhalla." The Team Rocket boss spoke as he guided the trembling man to the posts before pushing him down to his knees and tying his hands to the posts on either side of him. The man whimpered as Kabutops walked around so that he was behind him, its claws clacking against the hard floor as it did so.

Blue continued, "But if a man had committed a sin so heinous, the Vikings believed that there was only one way for him to enter Valhalla. They performed the Bloody Braviary on him, a method of execution said to be so painful that even the gods pitied whoever suffered it. But in order for the man to be granted access to Valhalla, he had to go through the ordeal without screaming once until he was dead." The victim began crying, his tears dripping down his face dropping onto the floor as he heard Kabutops slide its blades across each other before resting the tips on either side of his spine at his shoulders.

Blue chuckled, "Wait Kabutops, there's no way he's going to survive this without Alakazam present." The victim whimpered as Blue went silent for almost a full minute, all the while Kabutops's blades rested against his skin. He was afraid to move a muscle in the fear that the razor sharp blades would pierce his skin if he did so. Suddenly Alakazam and Machamp appeared before him causing him to jump and the blades to do exactly what he had afraid of a moment ago. He grunted in pain as the blades sunk into his flesh as if it were water.

"There you are Alakazam, you know what to do, make sure he stays awake." Blue then looked at his victim again, "Of course you are not a Viking, so I fully expect you to scream, a lot. You see what Kabutops is going to do, is cut away the skin on either side of your spine until your ribs are exposed, then I am going to take this axe here," he gestured to the sharp axe on the floor, "and chop away at your ribs where they attach to your spine."

He chuckled at the victim's sickly and tearstained face, before continuing, "Then Machamp going to grab your severed rib bones and pull them apart, sticking them out so that your back will look like a braviary spreading its wings in flight, hence the name. And _then_, last but certainly not least, I am going to reach into the holes exposed by your spread ribs, grab your lungs, pull them out, and rest them across your shoulders. That, my dear friend, is the Bloody Braviary."

Blue began laughing uproariously, almost drowning out the victim's screams as Kabutops blades sliced down.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Ketchum Household; 04/04/2014:**_

Cynthia awoke with a start as her cellphone began ringing, she cursed as she fumbled about her body looking for noisy machine. How had she fallen asleep? And why was there a duvet covering her? These questions remained unanswered as she finally found her phone and accepted the call without looking at the caller ID. "Cynthia." She groaned as she heard Steven's emotionless voice, not this human rock again.

"What do you want Steven?" she said resignedly, "Did you not get my email?" she waited impatiently for the Hoenn Champion's reply. "No I did, and I read your attached message saying that you believe that Red might've actually saved Max from the Colossus, or at least Lance's killer. Would you mind explaining that to me?" Cynthia sighed before going over what Misty had said the day before, at the end of which Steven grunted his approval, "I see, I've spoken to Max's parents and have told them that I am keeping Max in Ever Grande for safety, we can't let them know that the G-Men failed to protect their son. I've managed to prevent the news of your plane's destruction somewhat contained; no one knows it's your plane, but if the news does get out I will release a statement saying that it was Lance onboard the plane. I'm afraid I must ask you to get May to go along with this; her parents will no doubt attempt to contact her now and then and she mustn't reveal the truth."

That, was not going to be easy, Cynthia thought irritably. Steven continued, "Lastly I have some very interesting news regarding what we found on the Lily of the Valley Island" Cynthia perked up at this; investigating the ruins of the stadium had uncovered both strange boot prints and huge claw marks on the battleground, and a similar boot print on a pikachu's tail. What was really strange was that they had clearly been made after the explosion.

She listened attentively as Steven gave the report, "After thorough investigation the forensics team managed to ascertain that the claw marks belonged to a charizard, only they were a lot larger than any charizard that anyone had ever seen… except for Red's." Cynthia gasped, Red was in Sinnoh during the explosion? Oh Arceus, maybe he really was the Colossus…

"There's more," she heard Steven say and returned her attention to the phone call, "One smart scientist in the forensics teams had the idea of analyzing the dirt and soil that would have coated the person's boots but the prints in the sand of the battleground were too diluted to find anything useful. The print on the pikachu's tail however…"

Cynthia held her breath as Steven paused, waiting to learn what he had found, "There was a lot of minerals you could typically find most anywhere in the world, but there was one mineral that we found that has only one source… silver!" Cynthia gasped again, only this time much louder, awaking Drew, who had still been sleeping on the single couch, and alerting Delia, who came out of the kitchen to see what was wrong.

Finally, after twenty long years, there was some evidence as to the whereabouts of the most mysterious man in the world. The Pokémon Master, Red, was residing on the world's only source of silver, Mt. Silver! Cynthia smirked, that made her choice easy.

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><p><strong>So we got to see a bit of emotion from Cynthia, as well as her vanity.<strong>

**I wonder if anyone got the 'Bloody Braviary' reference, kudos to you if you did.**

**I wanted to thank you all for being so patient with me, however I cannot tell you when the next chapter will be out as I really don't know.**

**Please Read and Review,**

**If you are confused about something, or you want to ask me something, please feel free to PM me and I will try my best to reply without giving away spoilers unless you want them.  
><strong>

**Until next time.**

**-SwallowtheSun**


	6. Chapter 6: The Melancholy Spirit

**Wow, I realise how long it's been since my last update, but all I can do is apologise as I have no reason for such shocking tardiness, time just slipped away from me I guess. I am sorry.**

**Since it's been such a long time, and these chapters aren't short and easy to catch up on, I'll give you summary.**

**This chapter is a lengthy one, and it's mostly about someone who isn't usually a huge focus in Pokemon stories, so not only have I posted this so late, but the story remains on a slow burn, and again I must apologise. Despite this I hope you enjoy the chapter, as I enjoyed writing it immensely. I really wanted to convey to you the danger of the expedition that awaits Cynthia and Ash's friends, please tell me if I succeeded.**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

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><p><strong>Summary of Departer thus far:<strong>

Ash is missing, though nobody knows yet.

A man strongly resembling Ash walked into the Lily of the Valley Conference and blew it up, killing Brock and Dawn and leaving only Paul as a survivor, though he was horrifically injured we learn as Red picked him up a few minutes later. Cynthia questions Delia about Ash and learns that she, Gary and Professor Oak know something about the missing Pokemon Master Red, and that said Pokemon Master might be responsible for the explosion at the conference in Sinnoh. Lance is soon killed by an unknown Charizard, reinforcing suspicions of Red and Cynthia learns from Misty that it was Ritchie at the conference in Sinnoh. May and her boyfriend Drew, whom she's beginning to have doubts about, visit Delia along with Iris and Cilan while Max is given a flight back to Hoenn on Cynthia's private jet. The Ketchum household is brutally attacked by an Alakazam and Machamp who work for Giovanni/Blue, resulting in a coma for Cilan and a few injuries for May. Mimey was killed too.

Max, meanwhile is attacked while flying over Silver Town by a charizard, who is soon killed by another Mega-Charizard that steals Max, but not before he manages to record a video of what is happening and sending it to Cynthia via her wounded Garchomp. Viridian Police Officer Jenny travels to Shamouti Island with her boyfriend Bruno to confront Lugia about asking the Legendary Pokemon for help against Ritchie, who is now called the Colossus, but is instead told that Ash, the 'Chosen One' is on Mt. Silver and that all his past travelling companions must ascend the tallest mountain in the world of which Professor Oak was supposedly the world record holder of the highest anyone had climbed up it. How true is this though?

Meanwhile Garchomp crash lands in the Corral and Cynthia and May and gang watch Max's tearful kidnapping, causing May to break down and Cynthia to snap at Delia and the Oaks because she recognized the Charizard who took Max as Red's Charizard, a man whom they had lied to her about. Cynthia sends the video to her colleague Steven who calls Max's parents and falsely tells them not to worry and that Max is in their care. Steven calls Cynthia to warn her about what he had told May's parents, and also that the public isn't ready to hear of Ash's innocence.

Meanwhile Brock's brother and Dawn's mother have been mourning, and Ash's father is apparently in the clutches of Giovanni, who is ruthlessly torturing him to get information about Ash and his Aura abilities.

I think that brings it up to speed, so now on with the story!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: This White Mountain On Which You Will Die<strong>

_**Mr****̥****tyu k****ṣ****ētra**_**_Base Camp; 7 250m (23 790ft) above sea level; 10/06/1975:_**

"This is the mountain upon which you will die," the stern middle-aged man said as his eyes roved about the room, judging each and every person's reaction to his grim opening line. Eventually his gaze fell upon two young men who were in their mid-twenties. They were smirking at each other… that was not the reaction the speaker had wanted. He scowled at the two confident men as he continued with his presentation.

"The mountain has many names; the one most people know it as: Mt. Silver, so named because it is the only known source of silver on Earth. The one the Servants know it as: the Holy Mountain, so named because of their belief that it is the home to many Legendary Pokémon. And the one the Gurkha know it as: Yō saphēda pahāḍa kuna mā timī marnēchau, or 'This White Mountain On Which You Will Die' in common speak, so named because… well I think you can guess why."

The speaker paused his speech as he glanced again at the two young men to gauge their reaction. He watched in irritation as the auburn haired one turned to the dark brown haired one and muttered something, causing the latter to chuckle. The speaker internally sighed, he wasn't irritated because they were disrupting his presentation but rather because he knew that they wouldn't make it if they didn't take this undertaking more seriously. As he watched them regretfully he began reflecting upon when he had first met them.

They had arrived from Pallet Town via Pokémon two months ago, best friends and newly made fathers, and the first thing they had done upon arriving was proudly show off their pictures of their newborn babies to anyone who was unfortunate enough to find themselves in a conversation with them. But as the first day rolled by, their bodies eventually realizing that there was hardly any oxygen in the air up here, they became bed-ridden, too weak to even sit up. Of course everyone suffered the same thing on their first few days up here in the highest settlement on Earth.

Eventually, as their bodies got used to the scarce oxygen, the group in which the Pallet natives had been placed were able to walk again, albeit very slowly. So the speaker, who was also their training instructor and mountaineering guide, had set them walking laps around the camp. A few days later and they were jogging the laps. A month later and the instructor deemed them ready for their first hike up the mountain. They had taken 5 hours to reach the 7500 metre mark, just 250 metres higher than the camp and around where the infamous Death Zone began, before turning around and heading back to camp, which had taken another 3 hours. They did the same hike every second day and in between he would make them climb the ice wall just outside camp using ice picks and roped harnesses. When they eventually managed the entire hike, both up and down, in just 3 hours the instructor had forced them to sit naked in the snow for an hour, purposely getting them sick.

They had recovered from their illness yesterday and now, their bodies' immune system and tolerance for cold newly strengthened, they were finally ready. So finally the day was here, the day when they would leave and attempt to summit Mt. Silver, the tallest mountain on Earth, but if those two Pallet men truly believed that they would be getting there together and in one piece, the instructor feared they may be in for a very rude awakening.

#########

To say that Samuel Oak was scared was to say that water was wet and fire was hot, but the same could be said for his excitement. He had been waiting most of his life for this moment, him and his best friend Alex King, who was sitting beside him similarly bursting with nervousness and excitement. They had gone through hell during the past two months in order to get strong enough to attempt the climb, but now the day had finally come and they listened attentively to the stern middle-aged man as he continued his summarising presentation of all that they had learned in the past two months.

"For the past 60 days you have been residing here in the Mr̥tyu kṣētra Base Camp, which is Gurkha speak for 'Death Zone', though we are not actually within the Death Zone. We are currently at around 7250 metres above sea level whereas the Death Zone starts at around 7500 metres, or 24 600 feet for those of you who follow the imperial system. Once you go beyond that height the oxygen will soon be so thin that it will be physically impossible for you to breathe without the aid of oxygen tanks. It has been roughly calculated that the amount of oxygen in the air within the Death Zone is about a third of what is found at sea level."

As their instructor paused for a breath Sam glanced at his friend and again they caught each other's eyes and smirked. They were not idiots, they knew that this would be the hardest thing they will ever have attempted, but they were still confident of their chances. Ever since they were children they had done so many things together, things most people wouldn't even dream of, but they had never done what they had promised each other they would do when they first set out on their Pokémon journey, until now. Their pact entailed that they would be the first people to summit Mt. Silver and that they would make it together.

To say that Samuel Oak and Alex King were stubborn was to say again that water was wet and fire was hot and even though their respective wives had pleaded with them so desperately not to go, not after their babies had just been born, go they did, determined to make history and defeat the undefeated White Mountain, together.

The two Pallet natives returned their attention to their instructor as the stern man continued. "But the main reason for the Death Zone's grim name is simply because of how many lives it has claimed, for when within the Death Zone, it truly is every man and woman for his and herself. There is simply not enough oxygen for one person to help another; if you see someone lagging behind, or simply stopping, having lost the will to go on and wanting to die, you have to leave them behind. It doesn't matter if they're your mother, father, sibling or even your child, if they aren't going the pace you are, they aren't going to make it, and you will have to go on knowing you will never see them again."

That wiped the smirks off their faces; that wouldn't do. They were either going to make it together or give up and go back down together, there was not going to be any abandoning between these two stubborn young men. They tried to avoid thinking about the third scenario; that they might end up perishing together on the slopes of the so called 'Holy Mountain'.

The old man continued, "There was a survey a couple of years ago and the results stated that about 40% of those who had survived the Death Zone committed suicide within 5 years, 80% of those suicides were committed within one year. The remaining 60% of the survivors are either still living or have died of other causes, though 7% of those still living are currently staying in psychiatric hospitals."

The danger of what they were about to attempt hit home with that statement. Sure they had always known that this brutal journey was going to be incredibly challenging but they had never stopped to wonder about the repercussions it would have on their mentality if they did survive. Would survivor's guilt prove too strong? Would they end up pulling the trigger to their head a few years down the line? They knew that they were going to be together no matter what, but would any of their team mates perish before their eyes? Would they be forced to leave behind one of these people that they had formed bonds with over the trials and tribulations of the harsh training they had endured? Their morbid musing was interrupted as the instructor spoke again.

"No one has ever summited Mt. Silver and the furthest anyone has ever climbed was only 390 metres, or 1 280 feet, beyond the 7 500 metre mark. The mountain is thought to be around 8 450 metres or 27 720 feet high. That is over 500 metres, or 1 600 feet, higher than the world record. The holder of that record found a cave there at 7 890 metres and decided to rest a while to recover his strength. It was a rest from which he never awoke."

Sam closed his eyes and muttered a prayer to Arceus, he was by no means a Servant, but he would take all the help he could get on this lethal undertaking. But despite all the hardships ahead of him, despite the fact that they had 500 metres higher to climb than the world record holder, he had a gut feeling telling him that he and Alex were going to make it. So after composing himself the young researcher in training continued listening attentively to the presentation, knowing that everything would turn out in their favour.

To say that Samuel Oak was wrong, was to say that water was indeed wet, and fire was indeed hot.

#########

Both Sam and Alex were still breathing normally as they finally saw the wooden signpost stating that they had reached the 7 500 metre mark, that they had reached the undefined edge of the Death Zone. Only the instructor was waiting for them, the others all still making their way up. They smiled cheerfully at the instructor, who only stared back impassively, before seating themselves on a smooth boulder and staring back down at the camp that had been home for the past two months.

They recalled the several journeys they had taken up to this place over the past month. The first trip had been hell to say the least. 5 hours of grueling hiking at a snail's pace, not to mention the majority of the trip had been on loose shale so for every two steps they had taken they slid back one step. Their lungs had been burning, straining for more oxygen that just wasn't there. They had been sick several times, the lack of oxygen making them feel very light-headed.

It was amazing just how much the human body could improve upon its durability within the space of one month. Sam chuckled at the thought of their original trip up here, they had been so weak back then, but now they were strong, and were ready to take on the rest of this beast of a mountain. He turned so that he was facing the opposite way and paled slightly at the sight of the steep blizzard and glacier coated slopes that they would be trying to ascend in a few minutes.

His eyes trailed up the thin, winding path that was lined with thick wooden stakes thrust into the firm icy surface of the many glaciers of the White Mountain. When the howling blizzards lightened up every now and then he could see the snow-whitened red flag thrust into the ice next to a cave entrance that marked how far the world record holder had climbed. The climber had planted it with the help of his machamp as he had been far too weak to do it himself.

It made Sam very nervous that he could clearly see the red flag, indeed it was only 400 metres above him. He may find the 250m climb from camp to here quite easy now, but just how much more dangerous was the Death Zone if the furthest anyone had ever gotten into it was 400 metres? And even if he did manage to surpass the record, could he really climb the 500 more metres until the ever shrouded summit of the mountain?

He sighed nervously as he gazed up beyond the blizzards veiling the Death Zone and at the grey clouds that always boiled around the summit. It was a strange meteorological phenomena that had baffled every meteorologist and scientist who had studied it, though doing so comprehensively was impossible as the blizzards at such a height were far too strong for helicopters to fly or parachuters to glide, which was also why the actual height of the summit was still a mystery. The inexplicable weather patterns at the top of Mt. Silver had led many, even those who don't practice Servantship, to believe that the summit is indeed the home to Legendary Pokémon, for what else could be strong enough to defy the natural laws of Earth?

The final members of their group eventually arrived, a few with confident smiles on their faces, the rest panting slightly. Sam smiled at one woman who broke away from the rest and made her way towards the Pallet duo. She scowled as she reached the relaxing duo and scoffed, "Giving up already are we? Should've expected this from a couple of farm boys." Alex snickered and replied, "Says the one who couldn't even make it up here the first time!"

The woman's scowl remained for a few seconds before it cracked as a huge grin spread across her face. She laughed, "Touché, my friend, though you can only claim bragging rights when you manage to beat my gengar," she said heartily before laughing again at Alex's scowl. Sam chuckled and piped up, "Be honest though Agatha, your Ghost Pokémon don't exactly fight fair do they? I hope you remember that phasing into objects or out of existence is banned in League battles before you challenge Old Man Gareth for his Elite Four title."

The sandy haired and rather plain-faced young woman chuckled along with the young researcher, "Yes, I suppose it would be unfortunate if I forgot that, luckily for me though the Elite Pokémon up here have long since forgotten League rules, so I don't have to restrict my Pokémon to fight fair do I? Besides, fighting fair will get you killed in a place like this."

Her grin slipped a little as she finished her sentence, as did those upon the Pallet duo's face. Alex noticed that Agatha was gripping the single PokéBall on her belt with one of her violet mittens. One of the many crucial tips that their instructor had drilled into them almost every day was that they would only be allowed to take one of their Pokémon, and that the Pokémon they chose to take could not be a flying, grass or ground type. The blizzards were just far too strong and cold for any of those Pokémon to survive.

The only reason that dragon types were allowed was because of their extraordinary resistance to all elements, even to ice which they were weakest against. Also, almost every Dragon Pokémon was a Pseudo-Legendary, meaning that their basic strength, power, defense and resistance were far stronger than the average Pokémon from the get-go.

Which was why Sam had brought his dragonite along; dragonites were only labeled as flying types because of their wings and ability to fly, their bodies had hard scales instead of fragile feathers so as long as he didn't take to the air, his dragonite should be able to deal with the blizzards. The young researcher grasped his own PokéBall, as if doing so would strengthen both his own and his Pokémon's resolve, before breathing deeply and letting go.

He wished he could take more Pokémon with him, but he knew the reason he couldn't was valid. It had been discovered fairly recently, not by him which irked him considerably, that Pokémon could actually sense another Pokémon's strength. This ability became stronger as the Pokémon itself grew more powerful, and since most of the Pokémon living on the mountain were once Elite Pokémon, there sensing abilities were very fine-tuned indeed.

Since this discovery there had been some newly developed PokéBalls made that could mask a Pokémon's power somewhat, but if the contained Pokémon happened to be really strong itself, then the PokeBall's masking capabilities were weakened. In this case only a slither of the power of the Pokémon within was let out, but with the strength of the Pokémon upon Mt. Silver, a slither was all they needed to find you. And since one was only legally allowed to climb the mountain if one had been placed 4th or higher in a Regional Conference, one would undoubtedly have strong Pokémon.

This was why only one Pokémon was allowed, any more and you risked the chance of the mercilessly strong and feral Pokémon of the mountain finding you… and destroying you.

Sam's thoughts were halted by the instructor standing up and declaring that everyone had rested enough. The young researcher stood up and offered his hand to Agatha, who had seated herself down next to them sometime during his reflecting, while the instructor began to speak, "Our destination for today is the cave where the world record holder died, about 390 metres above us. While no one ever has ever climbed further than the cave, since the record was placed many people, myself included, have managed to reach the cave as well. But everyone gave up then, too tired to go further. If we make good time today we should be able to get there in about 4 hours. There's a chance that there will be Pokémon in there so I ask that the strongest of you send out your Pokémon to inspect the cave before we attempt to enter it.

Sam glanced worriedly at Agatha, she was the strongest trainer in the group, having actually won a conference before, but Sam couldn't help worry for her anyway. She had been good friend to him and Alex during the past couple of months and he didn't want to her or her friendly gengar to get hurt. She glanced at him and smirked before returning her attention to the instructor and Sam couldn't help but smile at her confidence and energy.

The instructor continued to speak as he walked to each person and checked their oxygen tanks. "Though we will be entering the Death Zone, you shouldn't need to use these tanks today, I'm just making sure that they're all full and that there are no problems with any of them. If you do need to use an oxygen tank today, you will be going back as you will not survive the climb." The group shuddered a little at the instructor's ominous tone.

"Once we reach the cave and have ensured that it is safe, we will set up for the night. Tomorrow will be absolutely brutal, remember that the highest anyone has ever gotten is the cave we will be sleeping in. Once beyond the cave we will need to be in constant motion to ensure that our bodies don't freeze. No part of your body should be exposed, flesh can become frostbitten in a matter of minutes up there" the instructor said grimly as he checked the last person's oxygen tank.

Finally the checkups were done and he made his way over to the wooden signpost, talking as he did, "This sign says that we are 7500 metres above sea level, the mountain is thought to be around 8450 metres above sea level, you just spent the past 3 hours climbing 250 metres and we plan to climb 400 metres further in 4 hours, and after that, there is still another 500 metres, or 2620 feet, to climb until we reach the summit. If we go the same pace as I am hoping to go today then 500 metres should take around 5 hours… We do not know if there are any caves further up the mountain so we may not be able to rest. There is a chance that tomorrow when we rise at dawn, we may not be able to stop until we reach the summit, or give up and turn back."

He watched everyone's faces for some sort of reaction and was pleased to find that for once the Pallet duo did not have smirks on their faces, but rather nervous visages of determination. The instructor breathed an internal sigh of relief before continuing, "About halfway through our journey today we will come across an ice wall that we will be required to climb using ice picks and ropes. You have trained for this on the climbing wall back at camp, I even ordered my Sealeo to use Blizzard on you while you were climbing so that you could get a feel of what it will be like."

Sam grimaced, that had been very unpleasant. The icy wind had made it hard for their frozen fingers to grasp their ice picks and hammer it in deep enough to support their weight as they moved up to hammer the next pick in. He knew it was going to be a lot worse today, what with stronger blizzards and less oxygen, not to mention the constant threat of Pokémon or avalanches.

"Now remember what I said about the Death Zone," the instructor continued, breaking Sam's thoughts, "If you see someone slacking, leave them. The same goes for the ice wall. When we get there, we will split into two teams, I will lead one and the other will be led by Patrick Rowan, whom I believe has had some experience climbing ice during his travels on Mt. Coronet?" The instructor paused as he glanced at the Sinnovian researcher to make certain of this. When he saw the researcher nodding he returned his attention to the rest of the group.

"We will lead the climb, hammering in the spikes through which we will loop the ropes. Each and every person will be linked to each and every other person in their team so the only reason you should fall is if the ropes are cut, or the ice wall breaks, which isn't likely." The group appeared to release a collective sigh of relief; it was nice to know that it wasn't actually that easy to fall to your death, however their faces paled again at the instructor's next words.

"But… if you fall unconscious on the ice wall, either because you're not getting enough oxygen or the cold has reached your brain, you will be cut loose. None of us can afford to climb back down with your body in tow and besides, you would be long dead by the time you made it back to camp." Sam glanced at Agatha nervously; she had struggled on the wall back at camp, her short stature making it hard to reach the next handhold and the fact that only mittens, which were not ideal for climbing, prevented her fingers from freezing.

Agatha seemed to notice his worry for she returned his concerned gaze with a confident smile. Sam's face broke into smile, who was he kidding? That mad woman was far too stubborn to die by anything but old age. "Don't worry Sam, the wall of ice won't break me, I only hope that I don't break it" the Ghost Trainer said confidently and with mirth. Sam and Alex both chuckled before being silenced by a glare from the instructor. "Do you find this amusing? Do you think you have what it takes to cut the only thing keeping a friend alive, and watch as he plummets to his death knowing that you are the direct cause of it?!" the instructor said heatedly.

The Pallet duo both paled and began stuttering "N-no S-sir-" "This mountain will destroy you if you don't start taking this more seriously! We've never, and I mean _never_ had a group returning with all its members! Every single time people have attempted to summit this mountain, at least one person had died! Statistically it is guaranteed that someone in this group will die over the next couple of days… Are you ready for when that time comes?" The instructor's rant lost heat as it progressed, as he became less angry and more sorrowful. For too long had he watched people die on this cursed White Mountain and the pain was getting to be too much to bear. He thought again of the mountain's ominous name, 'This White Mountain On Which You Will Die', and he realised, again, how justified the name was… in more ways than one. If it didn't kill your body, it killed your spirit.

He did not have a happy life. Arceus… when was the last time he had even felt joy? He thought back on the gun he had in his office desk drawer, the only reason that gun remained there and never pressed to his temple, was the thought of his ex-wife back home in Celestic Town, and their young daughter… They would never want for anything with the money he earned leading people to their death on this _fucking_ mountain!

He had stayed alive this long, if only for his family, despite how much they despised him, but perhaps the time had come when that gun would finally see the light of day… Yes… whether he died in the Death Zone or not… this would be his last trip. His family might miss him, they might… He hoped they would.

They say the mountain bred hard men and women, and Mr. Lawson was harder than most, but even the hardest rock became brittle when exposed to the cold.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Ketchum Household: 04/04/2013:**_

May marched down the stairs in anger; she had just spoken to her parents, and after tearfully telling them about Max's kidnapping, she was told about how Steven had called them and told them that Max was being looked after in Ever Grande. She had no idea what the G-Men were up to, but she was sure that Cynthia would know, which why she marched down those steps, each footfall a thump that echoed through the house.

Cynthia had just finished her call with Steven when she heard the thumping, shortly followed by a loud and angry hail, "Cynthia!" she heard May shout and as she turned to reprimand the brunette for greeting her so rudely she saw her expression. She grimaced as she realised that May must have spoken to her parents already. She saw Drew stand up and move over to his girlfriend, ready to support her in anyway. It seemed he really was trying to be a better boyfriend.

As the young brunette reached the blonde G-Men Officer she began her interrogation, "You want to tell me why Steven called my parents telling them that Max is being kept safe in Ever Grande? Didn't you tell him about the charizards?" May's heated tone attracted the attention of Misty, who had been eating cereal in the kitchen, and Delia, who had already come out when she heard Cynthia gasping over the news of Red's whereabouts. The two women turned to Cynthia, Misty with a curious expression upon her face and Delia with a disapproving frown on hers.

Despite the piercing stares of May and Drew and the frown on Delia's face Cynthia remained composed, "Do you know what the G-Men are, Ms. Maple?" At May's confused expression Cynthia continued, "They are the only people who know your brother is missing, they are also the only people who are most capable of protecting the public from the Colossus and not just from physical harm. The actions of this man in Sinnoh has plunged the world into fear and the only way to maintain control is for the public to believe in a government in control. If word gets out that the G-Men failed to protect a Gym Leader's son, all faith in the G-Men would be lost and without a higher power to trust in the world would spiral down into chaos and confusion."

Instead of calming the brunette down like Cynthia had hoped, the girl instead grew angrier, "It wasn't the G-Men's failure to protect my brother, it was yours. Why can't the public know it was just the failings of one person? Why can't the G-Men just discipline you and then continue searching for Max with other more capable agents?" She said bitingly.

If Cynthia was hurt by the brunette's scathing words she showed no indication, though a guilty expression did adorn her face, "May, words cannot express how sorry I am that Max was taken and believe me I will do everything in my power to get him back. But the truth is you should be counting your blessings that the G-Men decided to let me off without so much as a slap on the wrist, for without me, quite frankly, they wouldn't even consider searching for your brother while the Colossus is still out there."

May and Drew gasped while Misty and Delia just shook their heads disappointingly. Cynthia continued, "The fact of the matter is that besides Master Red and the Colossus and with Lance's death, I am now the single strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world," she wasn't bragging, she _was _the best and everyone knew it, "I am your greatest chance in getting your brother back, I need you to trust if not in the G-Men, then in me May."

May shook her head angrily, "I don't know if I can Cynthia, you see there was one other thing my parents mentioned. They told me that Steven was convinced that the Colossus is Ash, haven't you told him about your findings?" At this both Misty and Delia snapped their attention to the blonde G-Men officer, anger clearly written on their faces.

Cynthia mentally groaned, this was bad, she knew that Ash's friends and, more importantly, his mother would never trust her if she told them what Steven told her about why Ash's innocence must be kept hidden. So she lied, "The only evidence I really have that Ash isn't the Colossus or Lance's killer is your word and while I believe you wholeheartedly, Steven and the other Council members would never accept the words of Ash's friends and family." The blonde Champion neglected to tell them that the G-Men would have and had already accepted _her _words if _she_ declared Ash innocent.

Cynthia continued her untruth, "For the time being the G-Men believe Ash is the Colossus and it must remain so until I have irrefutable proof that he isn't." The blonde G-Men Officer finished her explanation and watched each person's face for their reactions. She could tell that Delia, Misty and May were still upset over this news but a look of understanding also graced their faces. Drew seemed rather nonchalant about the whole deal; it seemed the Coordinator still didn't care much for Ash Ketchum.

Cynthia returned her attention to the topic at hand, namely getting these people to trust her yet again. "Anyway, I have good news and bad news May," she said, catching May's attention, "The good news is that we've discovered where Red, and therefore Max, is." The brunette's face lit up with joy and even Cynthia smiled a bit at how hopeful she looked, she continued, "The bad news is that Red is on Mt. Silver, arguably the most dangerous place on Earth."

As the brunette's joyous expression fell Cynthia decided to comfort her a bit, "But I'm sure that if Red refused to harm Max in the skies yesterday then he wouldn't let anything happen to him and with Red protecting him, I don't believe anything short of Legendaries can harm your little brother." May smiled again and turned to her boyfriend, who smiled at her encouragingly and then her wrapped in a hug.

After May separated from her recently loving boyfriend, she turned back to Cynthia and was about to speak when Cynthia cut her off, "I have more good news. A couple of days ago I sent Viridian's Officer Jenny and my ex-colleague Bruno," that raised a few eyebrows; when had Bruno lost his job?! "On a trip to Shamouti Island to try and contact Lugia." Misty gasped and Cynthia glanced at her before remembering what Bruno had told her; that Ash, Misty and Tracey had been present when the Legendary Bird Trio went crazy all those years ago. In fact it was Ash who had summoned Lugia and rode him into battle against that Pokémon Collector.

The blonde Champion continued, "The goal was to ask Lugia to consult the other Legendary Pokémon and ask for their aid against the Colossus as we believe that besides Red's Pokémon the Legendaries are the only Pokémon that can face Colossal Pokémon and survive." Cynthia paused as everyone nodded in understanding before continuing, "Lugia agreed, but for a price. He asked that all of Ash's previous travelling companions go on a journey to find Ash, or the Chosen One as he refers to him. He also told Jenny that it was the Legendaries, not the Colossus that spirited Ash away. Apparently the whole thing is a test for all of Ash's past travelling companions; Lugia needs to know that you are all willing and strong enough to find Ash."

Cynthia paused and smiled at everyone's hopeful and smiling faces; being the bearer of good news was always a nice feeling. "There's more, Lugia told Jenny where Ash is…" Everyone gasped and Delia's eyes shone with unshed tears; her baby boy was safe! He wasn't in the clutches of the Colossus and now they know where he is! She leapt forward and clasped Cynthia's hands in her own, a pleading, almost begging, expression on her face as she looked up at the slightly taller woman, "Please tell me, please tell me where Ash is!" she asked frantically.

The usually stern and composed Cynthia's face withered as she broke out into an authentic, sympathetic smile. She was again reminded of the promise she had made this very woman a few days ago, (Arceus, was that only a few days ago?!) the promise that she would find Ash and bring him home to her, his mother. Cynthia had briefly forgotten that promise in the wake of all that she had learnt in the past few days: Lance's death, Red's disappearance, Lugia's task and Max's kidnapping. True, the promise had originally been a ruse to get Delia to trust her, but Cynthia was only fooling herself if she believed she hadn't meant it.

Gently she grasped the shaking mother's shoulders and smiled comfortingly at her, "Lugia said that he's on the summit of Mt. Silver which is, far too coincidentally, where Red and Max are thought to be; there would have been sightings of him over the past twenty years if Red were staying anywhere on the mountain but the summit."

Delia's face fell ever so slightly before her smile returned brilliantly; learning your missing son was on the summit of Mt. Silver wouldn't be considered good news by many, but Delia knew it was far better than the alternatives: that the Colossus had her son or worse, that he was dead. She took a deep breath before tentatively speaking; her nerves were a bit frazzled at the moment. "W-when do w-we set off?

Cynthia smiled again and glanced at the other residents of the room, May seemed even happier at the news of Ash's location and even Drew had a ghost of smile upon his face. But it was Misty who caught Cynthia's attention; the Cerulean beauty's striking green eyes sparkled as they filmed over with tears, reminding Cynthia of a sundrenched ocean sparkling, as if to flood the world with hope.

Tearing her eyes away from the girl's stunning ones, Cynthia returned her attention to Delia's unanswered question. "We set off as soon as Garchomp is up and about, there's no way I'm even thinking of attempting Mt. Silver without him. It may take a while for him to recover, so I suggest you use this time to train yourself as hard as you can, I'd even go so far as to train at Silver Town so you can get somewhat used to the cold and high altitude. Bear in mind though, Silver Town isn't even half as high as Mt. Silver." Cynthia directed her answer not only to Delia but to everyone else as well since they'd all be climbing the mountain.

"Since the current record holder is the Professor, I'll ask him to organize some sort of presentation so as to prepare us a little bit." As the others all nodded in understanding Cynthia's phone began to ring again, she frowned as she saw it was Steven again. She turned to Delia and spoke, "Mrs. Ketchum I have to take this call but please don't go anywhere, I would like to speak to you about Red afterwards. The auburn haired women blanched slightly but nodded.

Cynthia answered the phone as she strode towards the sliding door to the garden, intending to get a bit of privacy, "What is it Steven?" she said grumpily, if Steven were offended by her less than stellar greeting he didn't say anything. "I have news Cynthia, my sources in the Death Zone Base Camp tell me that they found a man lying outside their clinic door." Cynthia grimaced when the camp was mentioned; that was the place where her good for nothing grandfather had died.

Steven continued, "The man was one Paul O'Connell, and he was apparently in a horrible state. The doctors have said that it was clear that someone had treated him somewhat, and he has apparently been fed a steady flow of anesthetics to keep him unconscious, it's possible that he has been under since the explosion." Cynthia's mouth hung open; Paul had survived?!

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pewter City; Outskirts; 04/04/2013:**_

Nearly a week had passed before Forrest was able to use his hands again, and now he was going to use them for something far more useful than punching his Rhyperior. As the sun shimmered on the horizon, bathing the City of Rock in a rosy glow, Forrest headed towards a rather suspicious shop that lay on the outskirts of town. He pulled his black hood up as he approached the shop, the entrance barely visible behind the mass of cheap prostitutes milling about the entrance, looking for a lay and some money. He was rather famous in town and he didn't want anybody noticing him in a place like this.

He reached the prostitutes and shoved past them as they called out to him, offering themselves for the night. He shriveled his nose in disgust as he pushed past them; the girls wore far too much make up and perfume and far too little dignity, even just being near them brought on the want to bathe, thoroughly. Eventually he reached the entrance and pushed through, revealing red walls lined with everything from bongs to weapons. It was no secret that this place sold illegal goods or that it was run by Team Rocket, but for some reason the police never shut down the place. Some suspected that corruption was afoot but that didn't make sense since the police answered only to the G-Men, a government organization dedicated wholly to eradicating organisations such as Team Rocket.

Forrest pushed the thoughts from his mind as browsed through the selection of weapons. Eventually his eyes landed on a simple 9mm handgun that was on special. 150 PokéDollars was all was needed to buy the gun with a hundred regular rounds and 20 dum-dums, also known as hollow point rounds, capable of making a head explode. The young Gym Leader smiled, perfect. He picked up the gun and the bullets and headed over to the counter. The beauty of an illegal goods shop that was untouchable was that he didn't need to show his face or I.D, he just needed money.

So he bought the gun and left the shop. Pushing past the ladies of the night again, he walked the mile distance to where he had parked his car before driving back home. He glanced at the setting sun and then at the clock on the stereo, 8:27. He smiled; there was still plenty of time to get home and have a good night's sleep. He had a long drive to Pallet Town tomorrow.

Ash had taken the young Gym Leader's brother, someone he cherished more than anyone else in his life. It was time to return the favour.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Twinleaf Town; Outlying forests; 04/04/2013:**_

"Kangaskhan, use Giga Impact!" yelled the blunette. Joanna watched as her Parent Pokémon became enveloped in a purple glow as she experienced a sudden massive increase in adrenaline. The incredible power that would normally be expelled in a massive blast called 'Hyper Beam' was instead infused into the Parent Pokémon's muscles and tough skin and as she charged across the clearing with the force of 500 rapidashes, the ground shook beneath her feet and the trees in her path were instantly felled.

Joanna smiled as she imagined each one of those trees as a certain raven-haired trainer, quaking in fear as her Pokémon faced him down. She wanted him to feel the same fear that her baby girl had felt in her last moments, she wanted to grind him down into oblivion. It would happen, she was sure of that, her last breath would be dedicated to hunting him down.

When she returned home with her Kangaskhan trailing behind her; she liked to leave her out of her PokéBall after such strenuous training as it helped her recover quickly, she was greeted by the sight of a kindly-faced old lady resting on her porch with her walking stick by her side. Joanna immediately recognized the old lady as Bertha, a Sinnoh Elite and ex-Champion of Sinnoh, though what she was doing outside her house, Joanna had no idea.

Bertha eyes squeezed shut as she smiled widely, she struggled to push herself up but eventually managed it and began to speak, "Mrs. Berlitz I presume? I was terribly sorry to hear that your daughter was at the Conference." The kind old lady's smile faded and was replaced with a sympathetic gaze, "I am Bertha Scott, a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, and I've come here on the behalf of the G-Men to escort you to our safe hideout."

Joanna raised an eyebrow but didn't smile as she strode past the pleasant woman to her front door, Kangaskhan went around the back to enter her garden. Joanna unlocked the door and held it open for Bertha who nodded her thanks as she walked by, the blunette then walked in herself, locking the door behind her and heading for the kitchen. "Would you like some tea or coffee Mrs. Scott? You must have traveled a long way to get here."

The gray haired lady smiled and seated herself on one of the cushioned wicker chairs surrounding the coffee table , "Some tea would be lovely dear, thank you" the old lady began to speak even though Joanna was in another room, the ex-Coordinator had taken longer than she had expected to get back home and now Bertha didn't have a lot of time. "You may have heard of the plane crash in Johto recently?" she asked politely, when she heard no answer she continued, "Johto Champion Lance was on that plane, unfortunately he didn't survive. We believe that Ketchum was responsible for it and as such the G-Men has decided that everyone who was extensively in contact with Ash must be protected. There's no telling what a monster like him would do if he got his hands on you."

Joanna mentally smirked as she brought the tea out on a tray, he would die horribly is what he would do. As she rested the tray on the table and took a seat opposite Bertha she asked a question, "What if I don't want to go with you?" The old lady's kindly smile grew larger for some reason, which made her next words rather sinister, "I'm afraid you have no choice dear, don't worry you'll be well provided for, the G-Men have spared no expense in making sure tha-" she was interrupted by Joanna's house phone ringing. Bertha's wide smile remained while Joanna reached for the phone, though the blunette could have sworn she saw flicker of frustration in her eyes.

"Berlitz Residence…" Joanna answered the phone and was greeted by a familiar, though strained, voice, "Joanna? It's Caroline… H-how are you?" Joanna sighed, as their daughters had grown close over the years, so too had she and Caroline. The lively brunette was a wonderful person, but rather talkative and currently Joanna was not in a talkative mood. "You know how I am Caroline, now what did you call to talk about?" Joanna heard the brunette sigh, meanwhile Bertha still had that now-becoming-creepy smile on her face, though it slipped a bit at the mention of Caroline.

Joanna heard Caroline draw a shuddering breath and it occurred to her that the brunette sounded like she had been crying, her next words clarified why. "M-Max was k-kidnapped, h-he was on Cynthia's private jet bound for Petalburg but it was destroyed just over Silver Town," Caroline told Joanna the rest of what May had told her and Joanna's face showed not even a flicker of emotion. But inside she was reeling in shock; poor sweet, cute Max! But why did Bertha tell her that it was Lance's jet? Her unasked question soon got an answer as Caroline went on to tell her about Steven's phone call and then her conversation with May earlier today.

Joanna's eyes narrowed at Bertha, who seemed not to notice, as she thought about the G-Men's offer to take her to a safe place. How could she trust the organisation if they blatantly lied to a Gym Leader couple about the whereabouts and condition of their son? Bertha had said that Joanna had been given no choice in the matter, but that only meant that she had to make her own. After concluding the discussion and wishing Caroline well, taking care not to reveal any information to Bertha about the topic at hand, Joanna placed the phone back in its holster and stared intently at the lady opposite her. The old lady appeared to get uncomfortable as she shuffled in her seat, "I sincerely hope you're not thinking of not coming with us, I would hate to have to take drastic measures," she said somewhat nervously.

Joanna fingered Glameow's PokéBall on her waist as she continued staring at the old lady. Suddenly a large smile broke out on her face as she spoke all too jollily, "Oh Mrs. Scott, I assure you, there's no need to worry!"

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Somewhere; 04/04/2013:**_

Blue cursed he watched Alakazam fail to, yet again, bring the man back to consciousness. It seemed the Bloody Braviary had been a bit too excessive, he was still alive of course, his lungs and ribs were back in place, his back as smooth as glass. But the excessive amount of pain he had experienced had forced his mind into a coma, and comas were an affliction that even his mighty alakazam couldn't heal, not as he was anyway.

But there was still hope; his sources in Kalos had told him about these strange Mega Stones and Mega chain things, about how they allowed a Pokémon to evolve into an exponentially more powerful state, and seeing as Alakazam was already exceptionally powerful, a Mega-Evolution would probably boost his power to the Alpha Rank, on par with Cynthia's Garchomp and Lance's Dragonite. A coma would be no trouble for his Mega-Alakazam to heal at all.

This catch with the time limit on the evolution though, that bothered him. What was the point of growing stronger if you couldn't maintain that strength indefinitely? So he had his top scientist work on some way to bypass the reversion and make Mega-Evolution permanent, the elderly man had studied tapes of Red's battles since it was now apparent that his Charizard was a Mega-Charizard, though not the usual black one that had been discovered, and that he could hold his Mega form indefinitely.

#########

The tapes revealed nothing so the scientist had to improvise, using Team Rocket's vast connections he managed to get his hands on some Alakazite and begun to study them intently. He crushed them up, cracked them, dissolved them and soon discovered something remarkable. Mega-Stones were essentially fossils of Pokémon that lived millennia ago! They were stones made from diamond, or carbon, infused with the aura of an ancient Pokémon! The scientist wasn't quite sure how they came to be, did they form when Pokémon died? Did Pokémon consciously infuse these stones with their aura before they died?

But one thing was quite certain, the stones definitely held the aura of an ancestor Pokémon of Alakazam, which meant the Alakazam evolution chain had been around millions of years ago! The scientist also discovered how the process of Mega-Evolution worked; the stone temporarily granted the user the use of the aura inside when connected with a Key Stone, but the user never absorbed the aura. The incredibly tough carbon of the stone prevented any aura from seeping through into the user's body and this was what he needed to bypass in order to perform a perfect Mega-Evolution. So he set to work on extracting the aura from the stone and condensing it into liquid form.

It was strange, turning a life force into matter, but if anyone could do it, he could. He was the G-Men's top scientist after all, ordered by the Council to join Team Rocket and make use of their advanced resources and facilities to discover ways to improve the G-Men's knowledge and power. It was an arrangement that Giovanni and the G-Men had with each other, Team Rocket would utilize its frankly incredible science and technology department to make the G-Men stronger and the G-Men would allow Team Rocket to discretely run its illegal operations all around the world.

Obviously only certain council members knew of this arrangement, the Sinnoh Champion, and maybe a few of the elites, would shut down this operation immediately if they knew about it. The scientist grimaced, he didn't know why Cynthia was allowed on the Council, she caused more trouble than she was worth…

The scientist returned to his work and held up a syringe that held a glowing blue liquid. He beheld it in glee, if this all went according to plan then he had discovered a way to permanently Mega-Evolve Pokémon! The Council would be pleased! But first Giovanni wanted it for his Alakazam for some reason.

The scientist was unaware of Blue's prisoner, but had he known about it, he still wouldn't care, he was the G-Men's top scientist after all, emotion was as foreign to him as honesty was.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Ketchum Household; 04/04/2013:**_

Delia sat down at the island table in the middle of her kitchen, cradling a mug of tea in her hands. The others had just left, heading to Professor Oak's lab to get some information from the elderly man about Mt. Silver. Delia shuddered as she thought about the mountain, she had more reason than most to dread that mountain, who knows how different her life would be if she had had a father growing up…

And now she was going to be climbing it herself, 'This White Mountain On Which You Will Die', it was a terrifying prospect, but one she was willing to embrace wholeheartedly if it meant she could see her son again, meeting Red again would be interesting as well…

Opposite her sat Cynthia, who had remained behind to finally question Delia about the elusive Pokémon Master, which was why Delia's hands were shaking, almost spilling the tea in her hands. It wasn't that it would be hard for her to tell Red's story, there really wasn't much to it, it was more what had happened after Red disappeared those twenty years ago that made her nervous about bringing it up again.

The auburn haired mother watched nervously as Cynthia reached into her coat to bring out her small notepad and pen. She also took out her phone and placed it on to the granite surface of the table and put it on record. Finally the blonde champion looked up at Delia and smiled warmly, easing her nerves greatly. How this rather impatient and moody woman several years her younger could strike so much fear and yet also calm her down with a simple smile was beyond the auburn haired mother. Say what you want about Cynthia Lawson, but none could deny that she was a formidable woman with an inspiring presence.

The blonde G-Men Officer finally spoke, "Ok, Mrs. Ketchum, what can you tell me about Red? Please be truthful, I believe we both have had enough of all these half-truths you and the Oaks have been giving me." Though Cynthia's smile remained as encouraging as ever Delia could easily detect the warning in her words. No more lies, she knew, it was time for the world to learn what she knew about Master Red.

"First of all," Delia started, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Red is not actually from Pallet Town, I don't actually know where he is from, he never told anyone." Cynthia's eyes widened, even in learning more than nearly everyone in the world about Red, it seemed there was always going to be an element of mystery with him. "I was 13 when I first met him," Delia continued, "It was the first day of my Pokémon journey and me and my best friend, Blue, had just set off through the woods separating Viridian and Pallet Town."

"Wait a second," Cynthia interrupted, "You don't mean the Viridian City Gym Leader Blue do you?" she asked in surprise. Delia smiled and nodded, "Yes that's him, I was once best friends with two Kanto Champions, Blue and Red, though Blue's reign was rather short because of Red." "Interesting…" Cynthia said, "So how come you are no longer friends with Blue now, Blue _does _have a reputation as a bit of a loner," she asked. Delia's smile faded into gloom, "I'll get to that soon, it's actually part of Red's story…" Cynthia nodded and gestured for Delia to continue her story.

"We hadn't traveled for long, only about a couple of hours, before Blue challenged me to our first Pokémon battle. My bulbasaur struggled at first but soon we gained an upper hand on Blue and his squirtle, in order to one-up me Blue snuck around me while I was focusing on the battle and then pushed me into the river that was nearby. I got him back of course, and we spent quite a while playing in that river with our Pokémon, but then we noticed that my bulbasaur had disappeared."

"It wasn't long until I found him floating downriver, unable to fight the current as it swept him towards a waterfall. Without thinking I jumped in, trying to save my first Pokémon, Blue panicked and jumped in after me. All together we rode down the waterfall and we found it to be a mild one, far from dangerous. But as we made our way to the river's bank we noticed a figure floating face up in the water near us."

"We dragged him out the water, no easy feat as he was a full grown man and we were just a couple of kids, and laid him down on the bank. We were worried at first that he was dead, and neither of us knew CPR, but then he woke up and I saw the most startling eyes I have ever seen still to this day, for the irises were a pure blood-red colour." Cynthia paused her jotting as she listened to Delia talk, it was unknown what Red's true eye colour was as sometimes he was seen with red eyes, and sometimes with blue, though all the times he had been seen with blue eyes was when he was battling, Cynthia realised. It was generally assumed that he wore contacts to change his eye colour, just to add to his mystery appeal. But maybe there was something more at play here.

"He didn't cough up any water or anything," Delia continued, "in fact he just sat up, looked at me once, and started crying." Cynthia's head snapped up. Crying?! The greatest Pokémon Trainer in existence had been… crying? Delia saw the blonde woman's reaction and chuckled, "Yep, he started crying, and I still to this day don't know why. Anyway, after he stopped crying he stood up and held his hand out to us in greeting. He told us that he had no name and then that he was going to attend the Indigo Plateau Conference."

"Of course we asked him what had happened, why he was floating in the river and there was a long moment of silence before he told us that he couldn't remember. To this day I suspect he was lying to us but Blue and I backed off when his eyes flashed a darker shade of red."  
>"What?" Cynthia interrupted, "What are you talking about?"<p>

Delia sighed and shook her head, "I'm telling you, his eyes flashed a darker shade of red, and it really freaked us out." Cynthia was confused, how one earth does a person's eyes change colour like that? And how could someone have no name? She decided to file it away in her mind as Delia continued.

"He then took out a PokéBall and released it, and that's when Blue and I met the most powerful owned Pokémon in the world… Red's Pikachu. After checking Pikachu to make sure he was alright for some reason, Red looked at us again before Pikachu jumped right at me. I screamed at first, thinking Pikachu was attacking me, but then I felt the little mouse lick my cheek. I looked into his eyes and I could have sworn that I saw recognition and love in those eyes, though that didn't make sense as I had never met him before."

"Red then approached us and took Pikachu back, but not before giving me a weird crystal flower-type thing that seemed to resonate to his touch, but as soon as I touched it, it became dull and opaque. He told me to hold onto it until I went to Pewter City, where I should leave it as a package addressed to someone called Riley… Riley Ketchum… who would become my husband in later years."

Cynthia's head shot up; she had assumed, like quite a few people really, that because Red and Ash both came from Pallet Town and because they looked so similar, Red must be Ash's father. To learn that he wasn't was quite a shock indeed. The blonde G-Men Agent smiled, this story was getting really interesting.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**The Death Zone****; Mt. Silver; 7 700m (25 260ft) above sea level; 10/06/1975:**_

Sam tried to breathe normally as he slammed his ice pick into the firm ice of the ice wall, after making sure that the pick was secure he kicked the wall hard with his spike studded boots to ensure that his feet were secure as well before pulling and pushing himself up with his pick and feet respectively. He reached out with his other hand and the pick it held before repeating the whole process again. It was tiring progress, made harder by the gusting wind and freezing cold, but Sam could feel the benefits of the excruciating hardcore training they had endured.

It wasn't hard for him to keep his breathing constant, his muscles barely strained and the cold was not actually affecting him too much. The only real problem was the stinging of snow as it whipped across his face and covered his goggles with white slush. As he raised his free hand to wipe the snow from his goggles he glanced down beneath him at the rest of the group. Directly beneath him was Alex, and beneath _him_ was Agatha. Above Sam was Mr. Lawson, the guide who literally held all their lives in his hands as he hammered rings and hooks into the wall and threaded ropes through them.

Sam sighed as he thought of their journey to the wall from where they had started at the edge of the Death Zone. Two people had already turned back, gasping for air even with their oxygen tanks and even as they gasping, Sam could see the strange combination of relief and disappointment in their expressions; bittersweet smiles and teary frowns written clearly on their faces. He hoped they could find comfort in knowing that only about 200 hundred people had even made it as far as them, but he knew that like him if he turned back, they would never forget their failure to summit the White Mountain.

He glanced again at Agatha just below Alex to make sure she was alright, but she was doing fine, he could see clearly that fierce determination on her face that he had seen during their multiple battles together back at camp. He returned his attention to climbing the ice wall as Mr. Lawson gestured him to follow. But as he slammed his pick yet again, he couldn't help wonder who else would turn back before day's end… and in what manner?

#########

It had been an hour since they had ascended the ice wall which, thankfully, had taken no lives and they were now nearing the cave in which they would be spending the night and which held the world record for the highest anyone had climbed the mountain. The group was in high spirits because while they were exhausted and cold and hungry, the wind had died down a bit and they were also making good progress. Not one of them felt the need to use their oxygen masks and none of them felt too cold to go on. The fact that they were near the cave bolstered their morale as it meant not only that they would be able to rest soon, but also that they were approaching the record and yet none of them felt like giving up and going back down. It was hard for them to believe that they couldn't surpass the record at the moment.

Even Mr. Lawson was impressed by the group's dedication, though he knew it was partly due to group psychology, as he too was feeling that he could perhaps beat that record. He glanced at the Pallet Duo just slightly ahead of him, walking with an arm slung around the other's shoulder and chuckling at something. He smiled slightly as he realised that he was perhaps being too critical about his thinking of them. They knew the danger of what they faced, but joking about it was not a bad way to stay calm and confident. He really hoped that this journey wouldn't change them too much, a friendship like theirs was rare. His smile slipped as he realised how ridiculous he was being, this was only going to end in tragedy.

"They're good men aren't they?" The guide was brought out of his thoughts by a strong feminine voice by side. He looked to his right to see Agatha strolling along beside him, a smile gracing her lips as she watched her two friends. Mr. Lawson smiled sadly, "They are, but they're not going to make it, and if they do, they won't be same. Whatever happens up here, those two men that you see now will be gone, either dead or replaced by someone you may not recognize."

Agatha frowned at him, "Why would you lead us up here if you think no one can summit the mountain?" she asked. "Oh, I believe the mountain can be summited, but not by people like them." Agatha scoffed, "Those two are the most determined men I've ever met, I've never seen anyone laugh in the face of death so openly."

Mr. Lawson sighed, "That's exactly why they won't make it, hope can kill as much as it mends. I've seen hope bring a broken man up upon his two feet, and I've seen hope crush a man down until he pulls the trigger to his head." Agatha glared at the guide before realizing that tears were rolling down his weathered face. She thought about what he had just said, and realised that he was speaking from personal experience. She wondered what had happened to him to make him so sad. How had hope crushed him into this morose wreck she saw before her now?

Mr. Lawson, meanwhile, was again thinking about that gun in his drawer back in his office. For the last time had he watched men like Alex King and Samuel Oak be destroyed by the White Mountain, for the last time had he seen a glorious man's spirit crushed by the psychological trauma inflicted by 'The White Mountain On Which You Will Die'. Whether up here in the Death Zone or down there back in his office, his last breath approached.

#########

Sam gasped for breath as he focused all of his energy in putting that one foot in front of the other. This was crazy! Just half an hour ago he and Alex were laughing with their arms slung around each other and now they could barely think as they fought for oxygen. They were on the last stretch to the cave and they were now realizing why no one had ever exceeded the cave. They were currently on a sharp incline of brittle shale that was almost 50 metres high, the cave was at the top of the incline and it honestly seemed no nearer than it had when they started climbing the incline.

But the cave must have been closer than he realised because not ten minutes later and they were all huddled around the entrance to the cave. Sam stared at the flag that had barely any trace of red left on it from all the years it had spent being billowed around by the blizzards up here. He then glanced up at the mountain, now that they had reached as far as anyone had gone there was no path to follow up the icy glaciers and sleet covered shale. They would have to make their own path from now on, avoiding loose snow for fear of avalanche and avoiding crevasses for fear of a plummeting death.

Sam was brought out of his thoughts by Mr. Lawson gesturing to everyone with a finger on his lips, he then started speaking quietly, "Before we enter the cave we have to make sure that all the Pokémon within are killed." The group gasped; they had never been told that they would have to kill Pokémon! Sam and Alex stood up and were about to protest when the guide interrupted them, "If we just knockout the Pokémon then they will recover and then summon other Pokémon to their aid, we cannot hope to face a whole horde of Pokémon up here.

Sam and Alex sat back down and shakily sighed, Mr. Lawson was right of course, they would perish instantly if they faced too many Pokémon up here. "Agatha, are you ready?" the guide asked, causing Sam to swing his head to Agatha to see her reaction. He was not surprised to see her shaking slightly, he doubted anyone up here, except Mr. Lawson probably, had ever killed a Pokémon and he knew it wouldn't be easy for Agatha to do.

The nervous but tough-as-nails woman visibly steeled herself and then released her gengar, "Gengar… we're going into that cave and I need you to kill whatever you find within…" Gengar's ever present sneer actually managed to look a little less joyful at the news, though the Shadow Pokémon soon laughed and gave Agatha a thumbs up. Sam shuddered, and not because of the cold, he knew that Gengar wasn't really happy about the situation but the eerie Pokémon's eagerness to do the deed disturbed him greatly. There was just something about Ghost Pokémon that was really creepy, probably because they had killed more people than all the other types combined. He admired Ghost Trainers like Agatha greatly for their ability to tame Ghosts and also to remain calm in the face of the undead.

Sam watched as Agatha and Gengar slowly made their way into the cave, it wasn't long before the blackness of the cave swallowed the two and the rest of the group couldn't see them anymore. Almost immediately after they had disappeared however, they could hear Agatha shouting, "Brick Break… don't… don't s-stop…" They heard a painful cry of "Laaaarvitaaarrr…" along with a constant sickening thudding. Soon no other noise was heard except for that squelching thudding and vomiting from both within and without the cave. Mr. Lawson, grim faced as ever, stood up and, ignoring his retching group members, strode into the cave. He was soon followed by the rest of the group.

The group took out their torches, and soon wished they hadn't, for the grisly sight before them was truly horrifying. Agatha was slumped against the remarkably smooth cave wall with tears rolling down her face and next to her… next to her were the bloody gut-strewn remains of a baby larvitar. Above the corpse was Gengar, its fists covered in blood and tears carving their way down his ethereal face. The sight of Gengar's tears and sneer clashing together was a sight Sam didn't think he would ever forget. And neither was the sight of a mutilated baby Pokémon.

Sam and Alex rushed over to Agatha and they both clasped her in a strong hug as she broke down completely in their arms. The rest of the group sadly looked on, except for the guide, who looked suspiciously around at the cave. "Hmmm…" he said, "this cave seems smaller than before…" The group's eyes widened when they heard an ominous rumbling echo through the cave. Suddenly the wall that Agatha was leaning against shifted, causing the Ghost Trainer and her two Pallet friends to stumble before standing up together and backing away from now moving wall.

It soon became clear under torchlight that the wall was actually the pale green armoured hide of a tyranitar. The Armour Pokémon soon reached its full height, standing on it two legs, before opening its eyes and glaring at the people that dared interrupt its slumber. However it then noticed the bloody remains of its baby… It was easy to see that Gengar was the culprit here and then Agatha recalled her Pokémon, which was probably the biggest mistake she would ever make in her life. The tyranitar's eyes became wide and reddened with fury before bellowing loudly and Sam could clearly hear both the anguish and indescribable fury in its roar.

With speed that was rare for a species as large as tyranitar it lunged forward and reared its huge fist, ready to smash it down on Agatha. The Ghost Trainer stumbled backwards but fell due to the uneven surface of the cave floor, she landed on her butt and then screamed in absolute agony as all 30 kilograms of Tyranitar's fist smashed down on her right leg, crushing her femur and shattering her knee cap.

Sam lunged forward and released Dragonite before yelling, "Dragonite, take that tyranitar out of here!" The Dragon Pokémon leaped forward and gripped Tyranitar in its strong claws that glowed white with the power of Strength before dragging it out of the cave and launching into the air with a flap of its huge and powerful wings. Dragonite spiraled continuously in the freezing air so as to confuse Tyranitar before flipping and releasing the Armour Pokémon, who dropped like a stone towards the ground at the bottom of the steep shale incline the group had just climbed.

The rest of the group shuffled outside, an unconscious Agatha being carried by Sam and Alex, and watched as Tyranitar plummeted towards the ground. However moments before impact the tyranitar righted itself and slammed its glowing feet into the earth with a thundering roar that echoed around the whole mountain. The force of the Earthquake, magnified by the height from which the Armour Pokémon fell, created a massive shockwave that lifted the shale around it as a huge ripple.

The group watched in terror as the ripple made its way up the incline before shattering, sending thousands of razor sharp shale stones at them. Just before the sharp rocks reached them though Dragonite landed in front of Sam and quickly formed a Protect barrier. Unfortunately the hexagonal riddled shield was only large enough to protect those who were in the immediate vicinity of Sam, namely Alex, Agatha, Mr. Lawson and Patrick Rowan. The few who were protected watched in horror as the sharp stones tore through the rest of the screaming group like bullet fire.

The screams could barely be heard over the sound of the roaring wave of stones smashing into the green Protect barrier surrounding them and when the wave eventually passed, what remained was a truly horrifying sight that none of the survivors would ever forget. Sam fell to his knees and threw up. He was soon followed by the rest of the survivors, except for Agatha who, perhaps fortunately, had remained unconscious during the whole event. Sam gazed over the torn remains of his group members and muttered a prayer to Arceus as he thought of how he had bonded with each and every one of them.

His thoughts were soon interrupted however as another earth shattering roar split the skies, this one wasn't caused by a Pokémon though, and the group's faces paled as they stared up at the enormous wall of snow, earth and ice rushing down the mountain towards them at an unfathomable speed. "Get in the cave now!" Mr. Lawson yelled and the group promptly obeyed. Recalling Dragonite and slinging Agatha over his shoulder Sam grabbed a still shocked Alex and shoved him into the cave before following him, Mr. Lawson doing the same with Patrick.

They all sat down and listened nervously as the avalanche passed over them plunging them into absolute darkness. A few minutes passed in silence until eventually Mr. Lawson started speaking, "Ok we all need to relax, there is little enough oxygen up here as it is and now all we have left is what remains in this cave so people, try and keep your breathing even." Everyone tried their hardest to follow his advice but it was really quite hard to remain calm after what had just happened.

Sam realised that just 10 minutes earlier he had been congratulating himself on reaching the world record, and now most of the group had been horribly killed and Agatha had sustained a likely irreparable injury. How could so much go wrong in such little time? His thoughts were interrupted by the guide's next instructions, "Our first priority is getting out of here and then getting Agatha back to camp immediately. Sam, can you use your dragonite to melt our way out of here?" Sam nodded until he realised that no one could see him in this darkness. "Yes, I'll call him out now"

"Wait!" Sam jumped at the sudden yell from Alex who had been quiet the entire time. "We have to go on! We have to try and summit the mountain, we can't let all this have been for nothing" said Alex. Mr. Lawson growled, "Are you mad son?! Did you hit your head?! We just survived a Tyranitar's Earthquake and the resulting avalanche, Agatha has been gravely injured and the avalanche will have made the mountain pretty much impassable!"

"I have to go on… you don't have to follow me, but I need to do this…" replied Alex quietly to everyone's confusion. "Alex," Sam approached his best friend and spoke quietly, "We have to go back… Agatha needs our help and the avalanche will have made the mountain impossible to climb, I know we promised each other that we would make it but we also promised each other that we'd be together no matter what… Let's turn back Alex, we can try again another day."

"No!" Sam jumped at Alex's yell, shocked by the anger he could hear in his best friend's voice. "You don't understand, none of you do! This isn't about us anymore Sam, I've been chosen… I've been chosen…" Sam was confused, "Chosen for what? Alex what are you talking about? You can't go up there! You'll die in minutes!" "Maybe I will and maybe I won't, that's not up to me," replied Alex vaguely confusing Sam even further. Sam was getting desperate now, he knew that if Alex went up there he'd never see his best friend again and that was a prospect he couldn't handle right now.

He thought back on the tragic events that occurred in the last 10 minutes, he thought back on the two months they had spent training back at camp, he thought back on his and Alex's wives and their beautiful newborn babies. "Alex… think of Ashley and your daughter Delia! You're a father now, you can't just abandon your family! They need you… Delia needs you…" Tears dripped down Sam's face as he realised that Alex wasn't going back. "…I need you… We promised! We promised we'd stick together no matter what! If you go up there Alex… I can't follow you…"

Sam broke off as sobs racked their way through his body. When they had started out on their journey together all those years ago and they had promised each other that they would conquer Mt. Silver together, he had been sure that they would be together until the end. To say that Sam and Alex had a friendship that transcended the bond of even family was to say that water was wet, and that fire was hot.

"Sam…" Alex's quiet voice brought Sam's thoughts out of the past, "I know you can't, you have to look after your family. I don't expect you to follow me but I need you to understand that I have to do this, this is greater than you and I, this is my destiny." Sam broke down again and was about to retort when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Son," Mr. Lawson said soothingly, "You and Alex will have to sort this out later, we're running out of oxygen and Agatha won't survive long in these conditions. Tell Dragonite not to use a fire move to break us out, there's not enough oxygen for fire now."

Sam's crying didn't cease but he nodded his head shakily before releasing his dragonite, "Charge up your Hyper Beam!" Sam yelled. As his Dragon Pokémon opened his mouth and a pale orange orb began to coalesce in his maw, Sam used the light of the orb to see where the snow covered entrance of the cave was and then pointed at it when he found it, "Shoot there Dragonite!" he yelled. The orb exploded into a huge pillar that shot out of Dragonite's mouth with an ominous trembling noise that sounded a bit like a tuba. The Hyper Beam obliterated the wall of snow that covered the entrance, allowing white light to filter in and oxygen to flood the cave.

Sam hadn't realised how much he had been struggling to breathe until he tasted that sweet oxygen again. They shuffled out of the cave and looked around at the devastation that the avalanche had caused, but Sam couldn't really concentrate on it as he thought about his best friend again. He turned to see Alex standing slightly above him staring up at the shrouded peak. He trudged his way up to his best friend and stood by him staring up. "There's nothing I can say to get you to come back is there." It wasn't a question, it was a horrific realisation.

Alex chuckled sadly, "No my friend, this is where we part ways." Sam bowed his head as tears sprung again to his eyes, "We had a good life didn't we Sam," said Alex poignantly. Sam sobbed, "Y-yeah Alex, we did, so why does yours have to end so soon?" "I can't tell you Sam, but I get the feeling that one day you'll know." Sam sighed, he had expected as much. He stood still as he tried to cope with the knowledge that this would be last time he would ever see best friend.

He was brought of his thoughts by Alex digging around in the snow below them. Eventually the auburn-haired Pallet Town native man found what he was looking for and proceeded to pull it out of the snow. Sam's eyes widened as he realised it was the world record flag, "What are you doing?" asked Sam, only for Alex to chuckle sadly and reply, "I'm going up Sam, I going to go further than anyone has ever been, I may die up here but I'll be damned if I don't go down in glory."

Sam laughed as tears strode their way down his face; that was just like Alex, going out swinging. Alex soon joined in, laughing and crying in a weird combination of pride, nostalgia and despair. Their blizzard of emotions was soon interrupted by the trudging of snow as they were approached by Mr. Lawson. "We have to go, that Earthquake and avalanche would have alerted every Pokémon on the mountain to our presence. We might as well use our Pokémon now since they know we're here already, Sam can you take Agatha back to camp on your Dragonite?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, how will you and Patrick be getting back?" "Oh we'll be riding my Salamence, I take it you're not coming with us Alex?" the guide asked. Alex nodded before handing his PokéBall to Sam, "Please take care of Blastoise for me Sam… and tell Ashley… I'm sorry… and Delia…" Alex paused as tears rose again unbidden to his eyes, "Look after my little angel will you? Look after Delia for me?" Sam took Alex's PokéBall before pulling his best friend into a hug, "Of course Alex, they'll never want for anything." The two held the embrace for a while, tears freezing on their cheeks as they recalled their life together travelling around the world.

They eventually broke apart when they heard a distant roar of a Pokémon followed by many others. "We have to go, I wish you the very best of luck Alex" said Mr. Lawson before gripping the auburn haired man's hand in a handshake. The guide then turned away and made his way back down to Patrick before releasing Salamence and clambering on top of it, followed by Patrick. "You'd best go now Sam," said Alex quietly as the realisation that he would never see another person again hit him.

Sam, with his head down as fresh tears crawled their way down his face and froze on his cheeks, slowly walked to Dragonite. Each step he took in the shin deep snow brought upon him another flash of memory of his life with Alex; their first Pokémon battle against each other, their first Gym battle, their first Conference, their first girlfriends, their first fight, when they first met their wives, when their children were born not two months ago, and lastly the countless nights they had spent camping under starlight and talking the night away on their journies. One could hardly call what these two men shared a mere friendship, no... what they shared was a brotherhood.

A few minutes later and Dragonite was hovering in the air above Alex with Sam on his back. The two Pallet men shared on last salute of goodbye before Dragonite slowly made his way down the mountain. Sam watched Alex turn around and start making his way upwards, towards certainty and eternity; certainty that he would perish on the White Mountain, and eternity in the sense that he would never be forgotten.

As he faced forward once more staring at the icy clouds that surrounded him, he recalled Mr. Lawson's grim opening line of his presentation, "This the mountain upon which you will die," and realised just how true that was. For though his body may be living, his spirit was now all but gone.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Professor Oak's Lab; 04/04/2013:**_

Professor Oak sighed as he gazed upon the people seated in front of him. They were all currently seated in the presentation hall that he used every now and then when fellow scientists and professors visited. Seated in the front row was Delia and Cynthia, who had an attitude somewhat similar to her grandfather, Professor Oak had noted over the past few days. Behind them was May, Drew and Misty while at the back was Gary, Tracey and Daisy.

He sighed again when he saw his grandson, when Cynthia had approached him this morning with the news that both Ash and Max were at the summit of Mt. Silver, he had immediately known that he couldn't allow Gary to join the rest on their expedition to find the missing duo. The fact that the expedition was a task given to Ash's friends by the Legendaries only solidified his conviction as he suspected that Legendaries were involved with Alex's determination to die on the White Mountain all those years ago. Why else would he be 'chosen' to go, or say that he 'had to'?

The professor closed his eyes and sat down behind the desk, confusing the other residents of the room who had been awaiting his presentation. Behind closed eyelids tears built up as the old man remembered that fateful day. As if it wasn't bad enough that they had to kill a baby Pokémon and that Agatha had been permanently maimed _and _that most of the group had been shredded by sharp stones _and _that his best friend had left him to undergo a task that could only end in death, the night when he had returned to camp he had walked to Mr. Lawson's office, and found the tough old bastard slumped in his chair, gun in hand, hole in head and a crimson splatter on the wall behind him.

He had returned to Pallet Town the next day, and while over the next ten years Agatha went on to defeat Old Man Gareth and claim his position in the Elite Four, and Patrick Rowan went on to become the Regional Professor of his homeland Sinnoh, Samuel Oak had spent the decade in despair. He became a drunk bastard, mistreating his wife Gloria and neglecting his son Giovanni. He had never hurt them, or cheated on Gloria, he just became a drunken mess that shouted too often and cared too little. The only light in his days was little Delia, who came over to play with Giovanni almost every weekend.

The little auburn-haired girl was so like her father that even being in the same room as her while she played with his own son was enough to bring a ray of hope into his dark life. He watched with pride as his best friend's little angel grew up to be as great, if not greater than her father. Ashley had done a good job despite the difficult situation Alex's death had left her in. Unfortunately he had been so fixated on ensuring Alex's family was happy that he forgot to tend to his own.

Gloria left him Giovanni was ten, taking his son and moving in with another local man whom he suspected she had already been seeing, not that he could blame her, he was hardly being a devoting husband. It was then that he realised he needed to get his life in order and another three years later and he was the Regional Professor of Kanto, the youngest Regional Professor there had ever been. It wasn't long after his son's 13th birthday, whom Gloria let him see every weekend, that he discovered that the man his ex-wife and son had been staying with had been beating them.

The police got involved and the man was arrested, but that left the issue of Gloria and Giovanni, the former who had been declared too emotionally unstable to care for a child. Samuel had obviously insisted that Giovanni stay with him, but it wasn't long after that that the teenager left on his Pokémon journey with Delia, but that was a story for another day.

The disaster that was his life after he came back from the White Mountain was enough to make Samuel Oak realise what Mr. Lawson had meant all those years ago. He recalled what the Ghurkas called the mountain and grimaced sadly. The old professor had never recovered fully from what had happened, one could say that his spirit now possessed a melancholy that had plagued his life since that day. And that was what Mr. Lawson had meant with his opening line almost forty years ago.

So, heart heavy with a shattered past, the old man stood up and opened his eyes to the expedition assembled before him, ready to take on what had destroyed him. His eyes fell upon Delia and he almost smiled, what a great woman she had become… Alex would be so proud… If only he could see her now... "This is the mountain upon which you will die…" Professor Oak began…

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><p><strong>So there we are, what did you think?<strong>

**I have very limited experience with mountaineering and no experience with the Death Zone, which is real by the way, so nearly all assumptions I made about a journey up Mt. Silver, which I'm comparing to Everest, could be entirely wrong. I also do not speak Nepalese, which is the language spoken at the beginning of the chapter. So what you're seeing there chaps is the wonderful work of my good friend Google Translate. I apologise if it is incorrect, though I suspect not many Nepalese speaking people read Pokemon Fanfiction.**

**I'm sure many of you are surprised that Red is in fact not Ash's father, I hope you aren't too disappointed by this turn of events, though I did warn you about the possibility.**

**We learnt in this chapter that the G-Men aren't all that they seem to be, and that Blue/Giovanni had a rocky past. We also learnt that both Forrest and Joanna are feeling very vengeful towards Ash, but why is Forrest heading towards Pallet, and what are his intentions?**

**These questions will be answered in the next chapter, as will the rest of Red****'s story with Delia and Blue, though I cannot promise when that next chapter will be.**

**I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I apologise if Alex's departure seemed a bit sudden and Deus Ex Machina, I tried really hard to make that quite emotional and yet mysterious, though I have the sneaking suspicion that I failed.**

**Anyway, please Read and Review,**

**If you are confused about something, or you want to ask me something, please feel free to PM me and I will try my best to reply without giving away spoilers unless you want them.**

**Until next time.**

**-SwallowtheSun**


	7. Chapter 7: A Slow Moving Storm

**Hello everyone, Swallow the Sun here, back after a _long _absence for which I am so sorry.**

**Firstly I'd like to say thank you all for your generous reviews, every time a new one pops up I find myself on a writing binge and the words just flow out, eager to live up to your praise.**

**I have been working hard on the story though, and I am pleased to announce that I have my timeline of events of exactly what is going to happen in this story worked out. All I have to do is actually write the story out now.**

**I do have some good news and bad news regarding this chapter, the bad news is that this chapter is a little shorter than the others, though it still clocks in at over 11 000 words. The reason being that was originally meant to be one super chapter that I think may have exceeded 20 000 words. But then I realized that was a little ridiculous and so I split it up.**

**Which in turn leads me to the good news which is that I'm already over 5000 words into the next chapter so you can expect it a lot sooner that this one was.**

**A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.  
>However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.<strong>

**Please read and review.**

**Flames will be ignored.**

**I don't own Pokémon, nor do I own the quote at the beginning of the chapter. The quote is from a song called "A Slow Moving Storm" by a Post Rock/Metal band called Aoria, you should check it out if you like that kind of music.**

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><p><strong>Summary of Departer thus far:<strong>

Ash is missing, though nobody knows yet.

A man strongly resembling Ash walked into the Lily of the Valley Conference and blew it up, killing Brock and Dawn and leaving only Paul as a survivor, though he was horrifically injured we learn as Red picked him up a few minutes later. Cynthia questions Delia about Ash and learns that she, Gary and Professor Oak know something about the missing Pokémon Master Red, and that said Pokémon Master might be responsible for the explosion at the conference in Sinnoh.

Lance is soon killed by an unknown Charizard, reinforcing suspicions of Red but then Cynthia learns from Misty that it was Ritchie at the conference in Sinnoh. May and her boyfriend Drew, whom she's beginning to have doubts about, visit Delia along with Iris and Cilan while Max is given a flight back to Hoenn on Cynthia's private jet. The Ketchum household is brutally attacked by an Alakazam and Machamp who work for Giovanni/Blue, resulting in a coma for Cilan and a few injuries for May. Mimey was killed too.

Max, meanwhile is attacked while flying over Silver Town by a charizard, who is soon killed by another Mega-Charizard that steals Max, but not before he manages to record a video of what is happening and sending it to Cynthia via her wounded Garchomp. Viridian Police Officer Jenny travels to Shamouti Island with her boyfriend Bruno to confront Lugia about asking the Legendary Pokémon for help against Ritchie, who is now called the Colossus, but is instead told that Ash, the 'Chosen One' is on Mt. Silver and that all his past travelling companions must ascend the tallest mountain in the world of which Professor Oak was supposedly the world record holder of the highest anyone had climbed up it.

We learn this isn't true though as it was Alex King, the Professor's best friend and Delia's father, who climbed further than any man had ever gone, though he was never seen again. We also learn that only Cynthia's grandfather, current Elite Four member Agatha, current Sinnoh Regional Professor Patrick Rowan and Professor Oak survived that disastrous trek up Mt. Silver, though Cynthia's grandfather soon shot himself not long after.

Meanwhile Garchomp crash lands in the Corral and Cynthia and May and gang watch Max's tearful kidnapping, causing May to break down and Cynthia to snap at Delia and the Oaks because she recognized the Charizard who took Max as Red's Charizard, a man whom they had lied to her about. Cynthia sends the video to her colleague Steven who calls Max's parents and falsely tells them not to worry and that Max is in their care. Steven calls Cynthia to warn her about what he had told May's parents, and also that the public isn't ready to hear of Ash's innocence.

Meanwhile Brock's brother and Dawn's mother have been mourning, the former having just purchased a gun and setting off for Pallet Town and the latter having been confronted by Sinnoh Elite Four Member and G-Men Council Member Bertha only to recieve a call from Caroline Maple informing her of the G-Men's duplicity.

Delia finally opens up to Cynthia about her past with Red and Giovanni/Blue and we learn that Red is not Ash's father but rather Riley is. The mystery behind Red remains hidden to you readers though.

Ash's father is apparently in the clutches of Giovanni, who is ruthlessly torturing him to get information about Ash and his Aura abilities. He may have taken it a step too far though as the poor man has slipped into a coma which even Giovanni's Alakazam cannot heal. He sets his top scientist, who is also a G-Men member, searching for a way to perform a permanent Mega-evolution.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: A Slow-Moving Storm<strong>

"_All I see is dark, the sun is fading  
>A slow moving storm is closing in<br>The greatest of creations from a dreamer  
>Leaving me this overwhelming calm"<em>

_**Silver Town; Clinic; 04/04/2013:**_

When Paul awoke it wasn't accompanied with the agonized screaming that the nurses had been expecting, in fact the only indication that he had awoken at all was the slight increase in the beeping of the heart monitor. The first thing the Sinnovian noticed was that his left hand was really itchy, as was his right foot. In fact his whole body felt really uncomfortable but those two appendages stood out the most. He opened his eyes to the whitewashed walls of a hospital ward and sighed through his nose.

He remembered everything of course, how that imposter had blown up the stadium, how Aggron had leapt up and saved him, at the cost of its own life, his last lingering thought of his brother before slipping into unconsciousness…

…And then reawaking in a tranquil meadow in screaming agony, alerting the several Pokémon frolicking about to his consciousness.

Paul sighed again as he tried to open his mouth, but only the left half moved, and to ignore the itching in his left hand and right foot. It helped, in a weird sort of way, to remember that he didn't have a left hand and that half his right foot was missing, indeed what Paul was feeling was phantom limb, a sensation he'd never had expected to feel in a thousand years. He knew what had happened to him, but he had had a few days to come to terms with it, hence the lack of horror and disgust on his face.

When he had awoken for the first time in that meadow, he had almost instantly been put back to sleep by a venusaur's Sleep Powder. When he awoke again, the pain had subsided greatly, though it still lingered as a dull throb. There had been a man by him, a man who had looked so much like Ash that at first Paul had thought that it was indeed him. This had frightened the Sinnovian very much as his last memory of the raven head was when he had ordered genocide at the Conference. It became apparent very soon however, due to the man's weathered and bearded face, plus his slightly more muscular physique, that he was not Ash Ketchum.

When the man had noticed that Paul was awake he had introduced himself as Red to the huge surprise of Paul as it wasn't every day that one met the most mysterious man on the planet. The first thing Red had done after introducing himself was inform him, surprisingly empathetically really, that the purple-haired Trainer no longer had a left arm beyond the elbow, or a right foot beyond the heel. Once the resulting panicked screaming and retching had subsided, Red had then picked him up and carried him to a still pond in the middle of the meadow. He had positioned Paul so that the Sinnovian could see himself in the water's reflection, which was an act so devastating to the horrifically scarred man that he immediately fell into unconsciousness again.

What Paul had seen was the face of a man with most of his hair gone and boiled flesh that bubbled around his face, fusing the right side of his lips together. It was unlikely that even skin grafts could completely heal what happened to his face. The rest of his body had fared no better; he was spotted with red raw skin where chunks of Aggron's rocky hide were embedded and horribly bulbous deformities and the stump at his left elbow had been instantly cauterized when the intense heat had sliced his forearm off, same with his right foot beyond the heel. Needless to say, while Paul may be the only survivor of the Colossus's actions, he had not gotten away unscathed.

The next time Paul had woken up had been one of despair, and the next couple of days were filled with sulking and crying himself to sleep. He hadn't even taken notice of where he was, or of Red and a lucario attempting to mend him as best they could. Eventually he had learned that the beautiful meadow he was in, that could have been taken straight out of Eterna Forest back home, was the summit of the tallest mountain in the world. A perplexing conundrum as the air was plentiful with oxygen, water and sunlight, allowing natural life to flourish up there and for wild Pokémon to reside there happily.

When he had eventually managed to summon up enough will to do more than weep over what he had lost, he sat up and peeked through the trees surrounding the meadow. In between the mossy wooden pillars he had seen the grey wall of clouds that constantly swirled around the summit, like a slow moving storm. Who would've thought that within that storm was a literal paradise on Earth?

It wasn't long after that first glimpse of the storm that Paul had spoken his first words since the explosion, it was when Red was changing the bandage that had been wrapped around his torso, sealing and protecting the vicious wounds caused by the fragments of his Aggron's rocky hide being shattered into the young trainer's body. The lucario had been there as well, steadily applying his Heal Pulse to ensure that no wounds were reopened and also to dull the pain as Red had peeled the crimson-caked bandages off of Paul's torso.

"W-why are you doing this?" Paul had asked timidly, struggling to get the words through his slightly fused lips. Red had smiled, causing his face to split and the lines etched into his face to stand out. It had been clear to Paul that Red was not a young man anymore, though despite the whitened traces in the raven head's thick beard or hair, Paul had somehow been able to tell that it wasn't time that had aged him. Certainly, a harsh life could age a man as well as any length of time, but exactly what hardships could Red had faced in his life so that his face appeared so… sorrowful?

Paul's attention had only been brought back to his question when Red began to answer, "You've been chosen to send a very important message to certain people, I need to make sure you are able to and, such as you are now, you aren't." Paul remembered being annoyed by that answer, how vague could you get? "Why can't you send this message yourself? Or anyone else for that matter? Why me? Why a c-cripple?" Paul had asked, his throat clogging at the thought of his current state.

Paul remembered Red smiling sadly at Paul's words, eyes brimming with sympathy, but his words had been direct and to the point, "You are an associate of Ash's right? This tasks needs to be undertaken by one such person, the people who will be receiving your message wouldn't trust anyone else. Plus you were at the Conference." Red had replied nonchalantly. Paul had closed his eyes then before whispering, "So no one else made it…" It was more of a statement than a question and if Paul's eyes had been open he would have seen Red stare at him sympathetically, before replying simply, "No." Anymore words would have been useless, partly because they would have been of no comfort, but also because Paul wouldn't have heard them through the fresh wave of despair that assaulted him, bringing burning tears and desolation.

Paul was by no means a soft hearted individual, he had had a rougher childhood than most, he knew what transpired in the darker corners of the world. But no trauma he had experienced in his youth, awful though they were, could match the collective terror he and several thousand others had felt that fateful day at the Conference. But the question that had remained at the forefront of his mind over the next few days was not why it had happened, but rather why it was him who had survived.

The classic tale of survivor's guilt that had transpired over the next few days was so cringe worthy to the Paul currently laying in the hospital bed that he couldn't help but feel embarrassed at his past foolishness. Whenever Red wasn't around for whatever reason; he had tended to disappear for a couple of days every now and then, Paul had tried everything to end his life; from flinging himself into the pond thinking that he could hardly swim with missing limbs, to wandering into the wall of clouds hoping to stumble into the remarkably less friendly environment of the actual Mt. Silver. He had even gone so far as to try to convince the venusaur that he had seen every now and then to pump him so full of Sleep Powder that he would never awake, and when that failed he had lain down besides the giant snorlax he had seen Red sleeping against, hoping that it would roll over in its sleep and crush him.

Red had been remarkably patient through this whole phase of Paul's despair. Indeed only someone who had felt similar despair and pain could remain so patient. Paul had only been submerged in the pond for a few seconds before he had felt himself being pushed towards the surface by something below him. When the young traumatized trainer had broken the surface there was Red at the pond's edge, an empathetic expression gracing his face as he thanked the blastoise upon which Paul was seated. Wandering through the storm wall had been just as ineffective in ending his life, for he had only taken a few steps into the swirling grey eddies before a huge mass had enveloped him, plunging him into darkness before gripping him and gently lifting him back into the meadow. When the mass had settled him onto the soft grass it had pulled back, revealing itself to be Red's infamous Mega-Charizard.

Eventually, as each of his attempts were foiled by either Red or one of his Pokémon, Paul had stopped trying to kill himself and after many scared and violent thoughts he had decided to talk with Red again. "Why am I here?" Paul had asked as he hobbled towards the mysterious Pokémon Master who was seated in front of a circle of stones with a fire raging in the middle. He had his back against the resting snorlax, whom Paul had realised upon meeting Charizard was Red's Pokémon, as was the blastoise in the pond, and Lucario, and most probably the venusaur he had asked to kill him. If Paul had been a little less preoccupied with his condition and where he was he might've realised that there was one Pokémon missing from Red's famed Pokémon Team, a certain electric mouse…

Red had glanced up at him, smiling before gesturing opposite him, on the other side of the fire, hoping that Paul would seat himself. "The same reason I'm here, because we've been chosen." Paul had grumbled as he gingerly sat down, "That really doesn't answer anything you know, why do you have to be so damn vague?" Red had chuckled before replying, "First of all, do you know who did that to you?" the raven head gestured to Paul's mutilated body. Paul had narrowed his eyes at Red's question; he had actually thought about this a lot during his period of despair.

There was simply too much irregularities for that man to have been Ash; the strange attitude beforehand, the lack of shine in the raven head's hair implying hair dye, and finally the strange tuft of hair upon his pikachu's head which Paul had noticed but had been too preoccupied with the ensuing catastrophe before to really understand the implications of it. "Definitely not Ketchum" he had answered simply.

It was that moment, at the mention of Ash's name, that Red's eyes widened and for a split second Paul could see years, nay decades or perhaps an even lengthier amount of time of pain in those red irises. Paul remembered how his own eyes had widened; he had never seen such agony and sorrow before, and not such a copious amount of it either. Paul had always been highly skeptical of the belief that the eyes were the windows to a person's soul, after all how could bunch of muscles and nerves portray emotions? But seeing the tragedy in the Red's exposed irises had made him a firm believer in that instant. But what on Arceus' green Earth could have happened to the Pokémon Master for his eyes to display such despair?

The soul baring moment was over as soon as it had begun though as Red's eyes returned to their normal opaque red hue. Indeed Red had stirred the fire and continued on as if it never happened, causing Paul to wonder if it had been his imagination, though he was sure that such pain couldn't be imagined. "No it wasn't Ash you are right, however that fact then begs the questions, where was Ash? And where is he now?" Paul remembered being surprised by that question as he had not given it a single thought. His thoughts had been solely focused on who the man was that had blown up the Conference, what had happened to Ash had never even occurred to him. He had been about to reply when he noticed Red glancing behind him, he had craned his head around to see what the Pokémon Master had seen but nothing could've prepared him for the shocking sight of Ash Ketchum standing there with his hands in pockets.

One could hardly blame Paul if he had shown discomfort instead of elation at the sight of Ash as while they had finally earned each other's respect after their first Sinnoh Conference together they were hardly friends. And now that they were the only two survivors of their second Sinnoh Conference together, the tension between them had hardly diminished. Paul remembered looking Ash up and down, to make certain that it was truly him standing there. He had seemed a little pale with dark rings around his eyes but otherwise, the man looked too much like Ash for Paul to doubt his identity.

It was there that Paul's memory got a bit fuzzy, what he could remember was that he and Ash didn't have a lot to say to each other, though Ash and Red had plenty to talk about it. Indeed, when Paul was just out of hearing range hushed whispers would start up between the two nearly identical men, an event that had infuriated Paul to no end. He had tried to listen to their conversations sometimes, but he only managed to catch the odd word here and there; frequent mentions of an 'Officer Jenny', as well as some kid called Max. Paul had understood none of it and so soon gave up on trying to eavesdrop and instead focused directly on Ash.

Though Paul was certain that the man was indeed Ash, there had been a few things about the raven head that just didn't sit right with Paul. First of all had been Ash's attitude, though Paul had to admit that wasn't really all that mysterious. Indeed there had never been a smile on Ash's face, or any trace of that brash, arrogant and yet happy-go-lucky kind-hearted Trainer that Paul had been rivals with for years, but then again there wasn't much to be happy about these days. No the thing that had really bugged Paul was that there had been no sign of Ash up there in the meadow at all until his appearance. Though Paul was willing to accept the summit of Mt. Silver was a mystical place, and it was fairly big as well: at least as big as four stadiums, he still struggled to comprehend that Ash had been up here the entire time while he himself was recovering, and he had not seen him. And last but not least, where the hell was Pikachu? Paul doubted that the pikachu at the Conference was Ash's, not with that tuft of hair, and not under the command of an imposter.

So where was the little mouse? Paul's suspicion was only fuelled further when that night, on the same day that Ash had appeared, he disappeared. When Paul asked Red where he was, the Pokémon Master had replied only that he was on an errand, before going on one himself. Thus Paul was once again alone in the meadow, aside from the Pokémon of course, though Charizard seemed to be missing.

It was in the early hours of the next morning that Paul was awoken by the sound of Charizard's massive wings whooshing through the air as the bestial Flame Pokémon landed heavily next to the pond. Paul had immediately noticed the blood on his claws and coating fangs as long as his arm, though the questions that rose were immediately forgotten by the arrival of Red and someone else. Paul had shakily stood up and hobbled over towards the duo with the aid of the oak staff that Lucario had fashioned for him but when Red's companion had seen him he had immediately yelled out in horror.

Paul would have been lying if he had said that the blue-haired kid's reaction to his appearance hadn't stung, immensely. He was a monster now and people would always see his horrific deformities long before they saw who he really was at all, though he knew that wasn't much to see either. It was a prospect that would forever haunt him and even as he watched Red console the no doubt frightened and traumatized teenager he felt the telltale prick of tears in his eyes. Were he anyone else but Paul, those tears would have long since dripped off his cheeks. But he was Paul and so he had managed to tamper down the pain and misery enough to ask who the kid was.

The kid had been the mysterious Max that Red and Ash had spoken about the day before, and he had not been in a good shape. There were blisters on his hands and he had been shivering heavily, which came as no surprise to Paul after Red told him what had happened to him; how he was attacked by a charizard while flying home to Petalburg only to be rescued by Red's Mega-Charizard, and after spending hours being lashed by the ferocious rains of the storm and then being dropped off on the icy slopes of Mt. Silver he was likely in danger of succumbing to hypothermia.

Paul had watched as Red and Lucario attended to Max's blistered hands and then wrapped him up in blankets and rested him near Charizard's bonfire of a tail, close enough so that he would warm up, but not so close that he would warm up too quickly and shock his system. Paul had then hobbled over to him and was surprised to see him still conscious. He could see the hesitance in Max's eyes as they beheld his deformities but he was determined to make Max comfortable with him. It would be good practice for when he returned to civilisation and besides, the poor kid looked like he needed a friend right now, perhaps in each other the two could find the comfort they desperately needed.

The Paul that had originally travelled through Sinnoh, the one that had abandoned a chimchar for being too weak and had taken every opportunity to demean and break Ash would have been mortified at the Paul seating himself down to both comfort Max and find comfort for himself. But he knew that he wasn't that Paul any longer, and now with such horrific disfigurements he knew he'd be doing himself no favours if his attitude suited his appearance. They had spoken for a while and Paul learned that he had a fan in the young boy; apparently Ash had told him all about the incredibly tough trainer from Sinnoh whom he had only managed to beat in the Conference.

Paul had been a little touched by the respect the boy had for him, and also at the respect that Ash apparently had for him. To have your skills and hard work appreciated was something that everybody strove for and Paul was no exception. He had also been a little hurt at the way Max glanced at him, or specifically, at his melted and fused face, before quickly looking away before Paul could catch him though he was usually too late. He knew those glances, many a time had he met a person with some obvious disability whom he had applied the same tactic too. He didn't blame Max any more than he did himself for that, it was human nature to be curious about something that was unusual and yet so visible. It was like glancing at a Down-syndrome child, or driving slowly by an accident hoping to see a dead body or some blood, a person just couldn't help but keep sneaking glances at them.

No, he didn't blame Max for that at all, but nevertheless it still hurt. He'd only had just over a week to come to terms with his appearance and he was understandably still very upset about it and for the first human who'd seen him as he was now besides Red and Ash to be so obvious in his nervousness around him, it didn't bode well for when he would be re-immersed into society.

The two were still speaking and bonding, Max still sneaking glances and Paul still trying his best to ignore them, when Red approached them with steaming miltank sirloins and a few vegetables. While Max had been surprised at the quality of the food, Paul had had some time to come to grips with how food was found up here. Every now and then Charizard would fly back down to civilisation and then find some isolated farm where he would use his vicious claws to humanely put down a miltank before flying it back to Mt. Silver and roasting it with carefully tempered Fire Spins. Charizard always made sure to target a completely different area each time he went down so that the farmers were none the wiser, no doubt thinking that roaming packs of poochyena and mightyena or houndour and houndoom were responsible for the missing miltanks. Of course between two people one miltank could last a long time, so Charizard didn't have to go very often.

Paul had gotten stuck in pretty quickly but was startled to find that Max had already finished his by the time the lavender-head had gotten halfway through his, the poor kid must have been starving and Paul knew firsthand the effects of trauma on the digestive system, how the fear and sadness pushed down any thought of food. Now that Max was in a place he felt relatively safe his body had no doubt readdressed the issue of his empty stomach and labeled it as a top priority again.

When he asked for more Red had simply chuckled and pointed his meat-juice-soaked thumb in the direction of the spit that was on the other side of Charizard, the conflagration on the end of his spiked tail resting near the miltank carcass and simultaneously keeping both it and Max warm. When Max had gotten up to cut off another chunk of meat Red had finally begun talking about the task that Paul would be undertaking, as now that Max had arrived it would soon be time for Paul to leave.

Paul's reminiscing was interrupted by the sound of his door opening, followed by quiet footsteps. He glanced up to see the Champion of Hoenn, Steven Stone, take off his thick grey jacket and lay it gently over the back of a chair which he then seated himself in. Paul's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as something Red had said to him after giving him all the information he would need to take to the 'certain people' echoed through his mind, '_Remember, trust no one except for the ones who you must deliver this information to, and besides Cynthia do not trust the G-Men, I'm sure not all of them are as corrupt as the information I have given you suggests but it's best to be safe rather than sorry.'_

"Mr. O'Connell, I am pleased to see you awake, how are you feeling?" Steven's cold voice brought Paul back to the situation at hand and Paul, deciding to follow Red's advice, feigned confusion. "Where am I?" he said warily before making a show of looking at the stump on his left arm and widening his eyes in shock. "W-what? W-where's my arm?! Wh-what's happening?! WHERE'S MY ARM?!" Paul ripped of his covers with his available hand and gasped in partially feigned horror at the site of his mutilated body.

The heart monitor began beeping frantically as he started screaming, fortunately the anaesthetic was starting to wear off and the pain was returning so his screaming was only slightly exaggerated. A nurse quickly rushed in to sedate him and as Paul felt his consciousness slipping away he noticed Steven putting his jacket back on with a disgruntled expression upon his face before strolling out. Paul smirked before he finally lost consciousness.

#########

When Paul awoke once again he greeted not by the face of a stern man with steely grey hair and eyes but rather by the much more preferable face of the Champion of his homeland. She quickly noticed his consciousness and smiled gently before speaking softly, "Hello Paul, I'm sure you're wondering what's going on-," "Ms. Lawson, is there anywhere we can speak privately?" Paul interrupted, slightly surprising himself with the ability to speak fluently despite coming out of a drug-induced sleep.

Cynthia's eyes widened slightly; startled by Paul's abrupt question, before they narrowed in suspicion. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her intertwined fists, staring at him, her grey eyes probing his black ones for an explanation and completely ignoring his deformities, he was grateful for that. Paul wasn't really sure what his eyes were reflecting but she was apparently satisfied by what she saw for she soon stood up and strode over to the door to his room, pushing it closed with a soft click before glancing at the four corners of the ceiling, only reseating herself when she was satisfied that there were no cameras.

They were fortunate the clinic that Paul had been brought to after he was found at the Death Zone Base Camp was in the small rustic settlement of Silver Town. During the infamously difficult Silver Conference, difficult because the high altitude made Pokémon battling far more strenuous, Silver Town could accommodate up to two hundred thousand people. However most of the time due to its high altitude and lack of tourist attractions the quaint little town was home to only a couple thousand residents; the clinic probably couldn't afford the luxury of cameras in each patient room.

When Cynthia had made herself comfortable, crossing her legs and resting her right elbow on her elevated knee, wrapping her other arm around her stomach and resting her chin on her cupped right hand, her fingers curling around her chin to rest over her full lips, Paul spoke, "Ketchum isn't the Colossus" and with that simple line Paul knew he had gotten her attention as her eyebrows rose ever so slightly.

#########

When Cynthia arrived in Silver Town to see Paul she hadn't known what to expect. She had left Pallet Town early this morning, flying in with Togekiss, leaving the rest of her Pokémon behind to protect Ash's friends and family who had just been joined by Bruno and Jenny arriving back from Shamouti. They had all been preparing for the tough journey ahead of them, choosing which Pokémon to take and collaborating with Professor Oak on the best way to summit Mt. Silver.

When she had reached Paul's room he had still been asleep, according to the nurses he had woken up earlier when Steven was there only to be sedated again as he had begun panicking. It was easy to see why; the state of Paul's appearance was truly horrific, testament to cruelty of the Colossus' actions. Having been told how Paul had acted she had expected him to have no memory of that fateful day or the resulting days during which he had been missing.

Which was why Cynthia was so surprised when Paul asked her for privacy between them, and downright shocked when he stated that he knew Ash wasn't the Colossus. The very fact that he used the codename that the G-Men had given the man at the Conference told her that he knew far more than his first actions had implied. She masked these emotions well of course, had one witnessed the past few days of Cynthia's life in its entirety one might have thought that she wore her heart on her sleeve, frequently exploding in anger and being reduced to tears when Garchomp was injured and again when she watched Max's kidnapping, however this was far from true.

The past few days had been amongst the most stressful in Cynthia's entire life, she doubted even Steven could have held his stony demeanor for much longer than she had. But now, with the knowledge of both Ash's and Red's whereabouts, things were beginning to look up again and she found herself again in complete control of her emotions.

So she remained calm and composed when Paul spoke, waiting a few seconds before replying, "Yes I know, and it's clear to me now that you have some knowledge of what's happening, so why the hysterics earlier?" Paul groaned as he shifted in his bed, trying to sit up, a difficult action with one arm. "I was told that I couldn't trust anyone but you and Ketchum's entourage," he said once he was seated before grinning wryly, "That and I don't like Steven."

Cynthia managed to still herself as a tiny smile threatened to break out on her face at Paul's jab at Steven, fortunately she managed to maintain her guarded expression, "Told by whom?" she asked. Paul then stared at her with one eye, the other being blocked from her view by the bulbous melted flesh of his right eyebrow hanging over it. "…Red," he replied simply and he was rewarded by more than just a slightly raised eyebrow this time.

Cynthia leaned forward, grey eyes widened, "You were with Red?" she asked causing to Paul to nod his head in reply. Cynthia couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face this time, "Why don't you tell me everything that you can remember Paul" she said before leaning back, uncrossing her legs and taking out her notepad and pen from within her coat.

The blonde Champion sat still as she listened to Paul's tale of how Red found him just minutes after the explosion at the Conference and brought him to Mt. Silver. She listened in barely disguised wonder as the purple haired trainer told her about the tranquil meadow that was the summit of Mt. Silver, about how Red and his lucario treated his wounds and made sure that he didn't hurt himself any more than he was.

She listened in relief as he told her about briefly meeting Ash and later Max, it was nice to have confirmation that they were in fact up at the summit, and it was especially nice to hear that Max was doing alright despite a few injuries. It was a huge weight off her shoulders to hear of Max's wellbeing as she still felt incredibly guilty and responsible for his kidnapping. She was looking forward to telling May the good news, hopefully it would restore some of the brunette's lost faith in her abilities as a G-Men agent.

Eventually Paul began to talk about how Red had given him some vital information which was meant to be delivered to Cynthia and Cynthia only. This was surprising to Cynthia as she had never actually met Red before. Sure she had been making waves in the Pokémon battling community when Red had disappeared, and she was sure Red had been keeping up with the times during his time as a hermit so he would know who she was, but how could he possibly know that she could be trusted.

She was brought out of her wonderings when she noticed Paul grabbing a thick roll of gauze resting on the bedside table that the nurses must have left behind after wrapping his wounds up. Cynthia watched on in curiosity as Paul placed the roll in his mouth before removing the bandages wrapped around the stump of his left arm, revealing the blackened cauterized flesh of his elbow.

She then gasped in horror as Paul took several deep breaths before plunging his fingers into the wound. He grunted and screamed into the gauze wedged between his teeth as he ripped of scabs before digging his fingers deeper, causing fresh streams of blood to spurt out and run down his fingers and forearm. He was lucky that the anaesthetic was still mostly in effect or the pain would have been far too much to handle.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cynthia cried out as she leapt forward to stop him only to halt in shock as Paul slowly pulled what appeared to be a computer chip of sorts and two tiny objects out of his elbow. With a final muffled scream he yanked out the chip and two tiny stones before spitting out the roll of gauze and panting as he held up the bloody items to Cynthia's stunned face.

"When you get the chance, have a look at these, the stones are apparently a unique Mega Stone and Key Stone of some sort," he said while panting between pained gasps before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell unconscious once more. Cynthia caught his hand before he dropped the items and pried them from his blood-soaked fingers with mild disgust. She brought them to the sink and rinsed them off, she knew the chip must be waterproof otherwise it would not have survived being immersed in Paul's flesh.

After she had dried them off, making sure there was no blood left on either the chip, the stones or her hands she pressed the buzzer situated under Paul's bed. When the nurse came in she gasped at the sight of the bloody unwrapped stump dripping crimson onto the white satin bedsheets before turning and glaring at Cynthia. The blonde Champion was a bit surprised by the nurse's reaction; not many people had the guts to look at a G-Men agent like that, never mind a Regional Champion.

Cynthia chuckled, impressed by the nurse's defiance, before speaking, "He did that to himself, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would keep this under wraps. I'm serious, tell no one, not even Steven" she said grimly. She would be lying if she said Steven's actions during her time as a G-Men employee hadn't raised her suspicions about where his true ambitions lay, and what Paul had said about being told to trust only her only renewed those suspicions.

Obviously a government organisation being sourced by taxpayer's money would come under a lot of scrutiny from the public, which was why these recent rumours of the G-Men allying with Team Rocket and a few other lesser known criminal organisations had caused chaos to their public standing. Cynthia wasn't an idiot, she had been one of the Council members for a few years now and she could tell that the other members were hiding something from her and honestly, she wouldn't be all that surprised if it came out that they were in fact involved in some shady dealings.

Lance was an idiot so she doubted he had anything to do with whatever dark secret the Council was hiding but Steven… She had dated the notoriously ambitious man years back and she knew firsthand just how cold and ruthless he could be, and how intelligent he was. She had been doubting Steven's true allegiances for a while now and after he told her how Ash's innocence had to be kept under wraps, that doubt began to flourish into distrust. And now, with Paul's words and actions; hiding that chip and stone inside his own bloody stump to prevent anyone from discovering it when the doctors had cleaned him up spoke volumes of the import of the evidence the chip must contain, that distrust solidified into certainty. Steven and the other Council members were up to something, something malicious.

Cynthia returned her attention to the nurse who was now staring at her bewilderedly, "You keep this secret then I'll be in your debt, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you the advantages of having a Champion owe you a favour?" Cynthia asked with a smirk. The nurse's eyes widened before a faint smile graced her face as well, "Of course not, now if you'll excuse me Ms. Lawson, it appears my patient's wound has reopened somehow, I must to tend to him" she said tonelessly.

As Cynthia left through the clinic doors she grasped the PokéBall on her waist and released Togekiss, she had to get back to Pallet Town as soon as possible, Bruno was back there with everyone and though she very much doubted that the benign ex-Elite was part of whatever sinister plan the Council was hatching, after being indirectly told by Red of all people that the G-Men couldn't be trusted she couldn't take any chances.

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Inn:**_

When Cynthia had arrived back in Pallet Town she had immediately gone to the inn near the docks that Bruno and Jenny were staying at and promptly kicked the police woman out. After a brief interrogation she ascertained that Bruno definitely wasn't part of this conspiracy and then fished her laptop out and plugged in the chip that Paul had given her. What they found was truly horrific.

There had been several video files and one audio file which was a sound clip of Red himself. They had started with the video files which were journal entries of an older man dressed in doctoral fatigues. Each entry told tales of testing the limits of Pokémon regeneration by cutting off their limbs and burning them and freezing them and poisoning them and submerging them in acid and many other horrific tests. The old man often spoke of studying their regenerative tissue and isolating samples and injecting them into human subjects which were apparently supplied by Team Rocket.

As each video grew increasingly disturbing; performing the same horrific tests on the human subjects was just one example of how dark they became, it became clear that they were more than just journal entries, they were reports, and they were being sent to the G-Men. Indeed the doctor mentioned the G-Men as his employers many times, though no actual names were mentioned. This confirmed to Cynthia and Bruno that the G-Men were indeed allied with Team Rocket as all those rumours had suggested, and turned their world upside down.

The final videos were tamer than the others; the malicious scientist began talking about his latest project: finding a way to allow for permanent mega-evolutions, given to him by the leader of Team Rocket, whose name was also omitted. He went on about getting his hands on some Alakazite and all the various ways he tried in isolating the aura within. The last video entry was a short one, merely him saying that he had succeeded and how he was going to test it soon.

Cynthia and Bruno had not uttered a word while watching the videos and now that they had all been viewed, a foreboding silence hung in the room, shock clearly written across both their faces. Bruno stood up suddenly and started pacing the room, his massive frame constantly blocking the light from the windows, casting a shadow over Cynthia who remained pale-faced at the desk. With a sudden yell that caused Cynthia to jump in her seat, Bruno sent his massive fist through one of the cupboard doors, fury written as plain as day across his face.

His eyes were wide and his teeth gritted as he pulled his fist out, ignoring the splinters embedded in his knuckles, before letting loose what sounded more like a roar this time and slamming his other fist through the same door. Cynthia remained silent, she was just as furious as Bruno so she could understand his actions, she too felt like wordlessly shouting and punching something, though she doubted her dainty little fists would appreciate been forced into a wooden door. She was by no means weak and soft; she had been training herself in the arts of Muay Thai ever since she had claimed the Champion moniker, but compared to Bruno's ham-sized fists, hers would only slightly dent the cupboard door and would undoubtedly suffer more damage than the wooden object.

Instead she let her anger brew quietly inside, she had spent the last 15 years of her life working for the G-Men, trying to outsmart criminal syndicates and simultaneously succeed in the politics within the government organisation, hoping to rise high enough to be able to implement her vision for the tax funded group; a righteous and unstoppable bringer of justice. To learn that she had been working for a criminal syndicate like the ones she had relentlessly hunted all along, to learn that even though she had risen to a position of considerable power as one of the Council members she had always been a step behind the ones she was trying to imprison was downright soul crushing, and she knew that Bruno was feeling the same way.

Their brooding thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door followed by Jenny's worried voice, "What's going on in there? What's all that noise?!" Cynthia glanced at Bruno, giving him the reins to the situation. The giant sighed and spoke, "We can trust her, and we may need her help, she's very good at her job as an investigator, almost as good as you I'd say Cynthia." Cynthia remained silent for a few more moments as she contemplated Bruno's words before nodding, causing the giant to move towards the door and let Jenny in.

Cynthia was grateful that Bruno decided to summarize what they had just witnessed on Paul's computer chip as she wasn't sure she could handle watching those horrific entries again without emptying the contents of her stomach. Judging by the paleness that spread across Bruno's usually tanned face as he spoke, she wasn't the only one who felt nauseous about the whole ordeal. Jenny's reaction was what you'd expect of someone who'd just been told that a tax funded organisation was secretly funding horrific experiments on Pokémon and human alike. As a taxpayer herself she was no doubt wondering exactly how much of her own money had helped the evil people fashion the blades and acid with which they operated.

Having caught up the police woman with the details of the morbid situation the three began discussing what their next course of action would be. They all agreed that it would be best if they kept this information hidden from Ketchum's friends and family, and as finding Max was still top priority for Cynthia, followed closely by finding Ash and gaining the Legendaries' assistance, the trip to Mt. Silver was still of paramount import. It was then that Cynthia remembered the audio clip on the computer chip that they hadn't listened to yet.

They seated themselves around the laptop once more, this time with the addition of Jenny and Cynthia began to play the audio clip. A couple of seconds of silence played out before Red's voice suddenly spoke, "To whom this message is meant for, I am Red," that he had omitted Cynthia's name she was grateful for; had Steven gotten his hands on the computer chip somehow she feared the consequences that would have arisen had she been named.

The message continued, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions right now, especially if you've already seen the videos I have sent with this message, unfortunately I cannot risk telling you what you want to know over this message. Chances are you already know where I am, and once you reach me I will tell you all you want to know. Now the purpose of this message is to inform you that I know of the task handed to you by Lugia, and that I know that he's not testing yours and your entourage's fitness and durability, but rather your ability to overcome obstacles by unconventional means."

"The Legendaries don't expect you to travel to where I am by foot, but rather to delve into the vast knowledge that your position requires of you and find a far quicker way. The only hint I can give you is that it will require the strongest of the Chosen One's friends, and the stones I gave you. I hope to see you soon… Good luck." And with that the message ended, leaving only the sound of ponderous silence resonating from the three present.

The fact that they had just heard words from a man who had been missing for twenty years was lost on them as they mentally explored the meaning behind his words. They remained silent for several minutes as they each tried to figure out exactly what Red had meant, until suddenly Cynthia's phone began ringing, the specific ringtone playing informing her that it was a call from one of her personal Custodians, an event made unsettling by the fact that they were instructed only to directly contact her in an emergency.

The caller ID displayed the name Jonas Renkse, who was the Custodian Cynthia had assigned to watch over Joanna Berlitz. Cynthia knew that the G-Men were closely monitoring the whereabouts and security of the families of each of Ash's companions, however due to her growing suspicions of the G-Men's true intentions, when the Colossus had initially struck she had handpicked the stealthiest of her Custodians and assigned one to each family. That they managed to avoid discovery by both the families and the G-Men operatives watching over said families spoke volumes of their skills at remaining unseen and unheard.

"Cynthia! Something happened at Berlitz's house!" yelled the voice with a strong Sinnovian lilt through her phone's speaker, "I-it's gone! It blew up!" Cynthia groaned and pinched her nose, would she never get a moment's rest? "Bertha came around 30 minutes ago and Berlitz invite her in, I listen in on their conversation," Cynthia nodded impatiently, and as if Jonas could sense her impatience despite no audible confirmation, he forwent the explanation of his highly advanced technological Custodian gadgets that allowed him to perform espionage missions flawlessly.

"Bertha told Berlitz that she was here to take her to safe place, but then Berlitz got call from Caroline Maple," Cynthia's eyes widened; Caroline Maple… who had just been told by her daughter that Max had been kidnapped and that the G-Men were trying to cover it up. Jonas had been giving Cynthia many reports on Joanna Berlitz since the funeral service for Dawn, and what he had said in those reports were cause for great worry. He wrote of the grieving mother's increasingly violent behavior; going out into the woods to train her Pokémon relentlessly. It wasn't hard to figure out that vengeance was on her unstable mind.

So being told by an Elite that she must relocate to an unspecified location, and then receiving a call immediately after in which Caroline would have undoubtedly informed her of the G-Men's duplicity regarding the whereabouts of Max, could have disastrous effects on the mentality of a mother in mourning with murder on her mind. And judging by Jonas' opening line, the worst had come to pass.

With the recent sickening revelation that G-Men were far more sinister than Cynthia could ever have imagined, she didn't know what Bertha might do if provoked by Joanna. The old lady had always seemed harmless and innocent and yet, much like with Steven, she could always sense that something wasn't quite right with her. When Cynthia had won the Champion title from her all those years ago, the way Bertha had pushed her own Pokémon almost to the point of permanent damage in battle had disturbed the aspiring Champion-to-be and she had since never quite manage to allay her uneasiness towards the seemingly charming old lady.

So if an ex-Champion with a penchant for violence on the battlefield were to be threatened by a Top Coordinator turned housewife turned grieving mother with a newfound desire for vengeance, an exploded house might be the least of the damage caused. "Jonas!" Cynthia yelled, "Find Joanna and bring her to Pallet Town, I don't care if you have to subdue her, just don't hurt her!" With that she hung up and, ignoring the stunned Bruno and Jenny, sent a message to all the Custodian agents she had watching the respective families of Ash Ketchum's friends telling them that they had to bring their charges to Pallet Town immediately.

She had no idea what the G-Men were playing at by attempting to escort Joanna to a 'safe' location but she was sure that Joanna wasn't the only one they intended to spirit away from the public's eye. The fact that the Council had failed to inform her, a Council Member herself, about this decision told her all she needed to know about the intentions behind it; that they were menacing. Had she not secretly sent her Custodians out, she'd never had known what happened to them until it was far too late. At least in Pallet Town she, Bruno and Professor Oak could protect them from whatever the G-Men had had in store for them. It disturbed her how quickly her estimations on the morals and intentions of the G-Men had plummeted after watching those videos.

When she had finished texting her message she turned to the perplexed and worried faces of her companions and began explaining what had happened. However it was not five minutes later when, finishing off detailing her thoughts behind summoning everyone to Pallet Town, her phone rang again, this time receiving a call from Ehsan, a hardened man from the war torn Middle-East that she had watching over the Harrisons.

"Cynthia! You must find Ketchum's mother now! She is in great danger!"

**xxxxxxxx**

_**Pallet Town; Ketchum Household:**_

Forrest had arrived near Pallet Town not ten minutes ago, pulling over his car onto the side of a small road in the small forest separating Pallet Town from Viridian City. The road was rarely used judging by the sheet of undisturbed leaves that was resting upon it. In the ten minutes it had taken to walk from where he had parked his car to Pallet Town he had continuously checked his gun, constantly pulling out the cartridge and checking the ammunition before sliding it back in with a satisfying click and flicking the safety off and then on again.

His hands were moist and beads of nervous sweat rolled from his short curly hair down his dark skin and into his eyes, which were now sore from how much he had rubbed at them, trying to wipe away the stinging salty water. When at last he came upon the white-picketed fence bordering the house of Ash Ketchum, his entire body was shaking with nerves. He could barely hold his gun properly as he quietly hopped over the fence, avoiding the small gate for fear it would squeak and alert his target within the house, who would have no doubt long ago become accustomed to the sound of that gate opening implying that she had visitors.

As it was though, when Forrest crept forward, noticing the broken window through which Cilan had been flung, though he didn't know that, he also noticed that the house was remarkably quiet. Quiet enough to imply that the house was empty and after a quick hop over the windowsill and search through the house he found that to be the case. He sighed in frustration before turning back, this time using the gate as he now knew there was no one to alert. It was as he was closing the gate behind him that he noticed the large windmill next to the big lab situated at the top of the hill opposite the house.

Though he had never come to Pallet Town himself before, he knew through his brother's tales that that lab was the home of the famous Professor Oak, a dear friend to the Ketchums. If Delia was not at home then chances were she was there. With this in mind he steeled himself and set off towards the lab, his gun now shoved into his hoodie pocket with the safety on. It didn't take long to climb up the hill and slip around the back of the lab to hop into the Corral, avoiding the front door for obvious reasons.

It also didn't take long for him to find his target, and what he saw made his blood boil. Delia was seated on a lavish wooden deck that jutted out from the lab, elevated so as to give a stunning view of the Corral spread out before it. She was with a bunch of his brother's friends and the Professor himself and, though there were no smiles and the conversation they all seemed a part of unmistakably serious, there was also no mistaking the hopeful and joyous atmosphere that they all emitted.

Here she was, the mother of his brother's murderer, at peace and radiating joy while his brother lay scattered about Sinnoh. Here she was, as if her son hadn't slaughtered a hundred thousand people, as if she had no responsibility to pay for what her son had done. How could she be calm? How could she be so undespaired?! How the fuck could she justify feeling anything than guilt and horror at what had happened to his brother?!

Time seemed to slow down as white hot rage and adrenaline pumped through his veins, his violent thoughts spiraling in a slow-moving storm that had been brewing since his brother's death. He lingered on each thought of violence for a while, long enough for the last vestiges of sense and doubt to be blown away by the ferocious winds of his hate. He had dreamed of this, he had waited for this, and now that he was here the storm finally collapsed, leaving behind an overwhelming calm.

It no longer mattered that she was surrounded by friends and potential witnesses to what he was about to do. It no longer mattered that had Brock been there somehow, he would have been horrified and ashamed at what Forrest was about to do. The only thing that mattered was that Ash lose someone dear to him like Forrest had.

The unstable teenager quickly scrambled over the edge of the deck and stood up, alerting everyone to his presence. They looked at him in astonishment before the only person who recognized him spoke up, "Forrest! What are you doing here?" Misty said, surprise coating her words as they echoed in that overwhelming calm. Forrest ignored her and stared straight at Delia, radiating hate and ill intent from his eyes and causing the woman to become nervous.

He stepped forward, pulled the gun out of his pocket, flicked the safety off, pointed it straight at Delia's face, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

**xxxxxxxx**

Cynthia cursed as the van she was driving refused to go faster, why oh why had she thought a fucking van would be a good vehicle to hire to travel around Pallet Town? The lumbering piece of shit could barely breach 100 km/h as she raced towards Professor Oak's lab, which was where she had seen Delia last. Seated in the passenger seat next to her was Bruno, gently holding her phone in hands that dwarfed the cellular contraption as Ehsan's voice echoed through the phone's loudspeaker.

The Custodian was explaining how he had noticed Forrest leave Pewter City via car earlier that morning in the direction of Pallet Town and how he had thought nothing of it. But when he had gotten Cynthia's summons he had confronted the Harrison family and during their preparations for leaving Lola, Forrest's mother, had stumbled upon a note he had left on his desk in his room.

It was the contents of the note that had Ehsan immediately call Cynthia and urge her to find Delia, for the contents detailed a farewell letter from Forrest, who had known he would likely be imprisoned for killing Delia Ketchum and yet he wrote that it was something that he had to do. Cynthia couldn't care less whether the obviously traumatized and unstable boy claimed Arceus himself had given him a mission to kill the sweet woman, what she did care about was preventing another disaster to happen to one of her charges and deep down, she knew that she would be devastated if Delia, a woman whose plight she had come to feel for and who had earned her hard won respect, were to suffer anymore that she had been since the Colossus struck.

The van skidded into the lab's parking lot before the door slammed open and the three rushed out, eyes fervently glancing around, hoping to find some sort of evidence as to the whereabouts of Delia. Ironically it was the horrific sound of a gunshot echoing from behind the lab that let them know where to go. Dread flooded their bodies and settled into their guts as they raced around the lab and towards the wooden deck where the sound had resonated from and what they found as they leapt over the railing was not a pleasant sight.

#########

In the split moment when Forrest took a deep breath between him taking aim and pulling the trigger Delia had stood up quickly, a primal instinct urging her body to its feet in a timeframe that only a sudden rush of adrenaline could produce. Despite her mind knowing that there wasn't much she could do against a speeding bullet her body insisted that it felt safer on its feet rather than reclined in a seating position. As such the bullet did not reach its intended destination of Delia's skull but rather it ploughed through her stomach and straight out of her back.

Delia screamed in agony as she fell to her knees and blood spilled out from her stomach and back. She could barely hear the horrified screaming of her companions, nor could she see the shocked faces of either her companions or the new arrivals of Cynthia, Bruno and Jenny. She could comprehend nothing but the unbearable pain of the hole in her body, she didn't even realise that she had collapsed to the floor. The only thing she that drew her attention away from the agony erupting through her body was the feel of a warm metal ring pushing against her forehead.

She stared up in terror at the pistol and the burning, hateful eyes of its wielder, barely noticing that Bruno and Jenny had halted their charge towards him, nor that May had her hands placed over her mouth with tears budding in the corners of her eyes, nor Drew staring wild-eyed at Forrest, nor Tracey and his girlfriend shrieking in panic, nor Misty, Professor Oak and Gary going paler than she had ever seen them, eyes just as wild as Drew's were. The only thought going through her mind, the only words her barely conscious thoughts could jumble together as she shut her eyes tight, awaiting her death,: "I'm sorry Ash, please be safe, I love you."

The fatal bullet never came though as an unearthly roar erupted in the distance, shattering the calm of her assailant's mind. It was so loud and powerful that it shook the wooden floorboards of the deck they were all on. Delia opened her eyes again and noticed Forrest's head twisted behind him, the roar no doubt drawing his attention away briefly. Despite her wounded state she wasted no time and, using the last vestiges of her energy and will, she grabbed the gun suddenly and pushed it away from her face, hoping to buy enough time for Bruno and Jenny apprehend Forrest.

She felt relief flood through her as they immediately launched into action, resuming their charge however before they could reach them a huge winged shape blocked out the sun, casting the entire deck into shadow. Before anyone had the time to see what had just arrived a large scaled claw shot out from the silhouette and wrapped around Forrest's head before pulling back and launching the screaming boy into the air.

Forrest landed on his back a few metres away with a sickening crunch and as ribs fractured and organs scrambled, the air was forced from his stomach and he wheezed, trying to inhale air back into his broken body. The shape suddenly landed on him, one massive foot restraining his body against the ground, two claws resting on either side of his neck and the back claw rested between his legs, creating prison of orange scales and sharp blades. The creature's head snaked down until its nose snorting superheated air nudged at its captive's face, capturing the wheezing boy's undivided attention.

Forrest stared up in horror into the face of Ash's Charizard, whose eyes were ablaze with fury and whose vicious fangs were bared with the promise of unequivocal pain. Suddenly Charizard opened his mouth and, while not even an inch away from Forrest's face, he let loose a roar just as earth-tremblingly powerful as he had earlier when he had caused the wooden deck to shake. Heated air rushed out of his mouth and simultaneously buffeted and singed the boy's hair and eyebrows. Heat blisters began bubbling up on his face as he screamed in pain, shutting his eyes for fear they would melt inside his skull.

Though he had closed his eyes, the unforgettable sight of blood red ridges and curved fangs lining the beast's mouth and jaws respectively would forever be scarred into his mind's eye. He almost hoped he would die now so that he could never see it again. The pain of his face slowly beginning to melt shocked the boy into unconsciousness and yet Charizard refused to cease his cataclysmic roaring.

Suddenly a slender and pale hand reached out and gently stroked the winged lizard's neck, causing the draconic head to snap away and one blazing eye to fix upon the hand's owner. However when the beast saw the unmistakable red hair and breathtaking green eyes of his owner's best friend and childhood sweetheart the fury in his eyes dwindled to a spark and the killing intent faded to a simmer.

Misty smiled softly at him, though it did not reach her eyes, and spoke soothingly, "That's enough Charizard, you know Ash wouldn't want this." At the mention of his owner's name, uttered from the full lips of his owner's love, the spark flickered out and the simmer dissipated. Charizard began to turn his head back to his captive until Misty's other slender hand reached up to cup his muscled jaw and keep him facing towards her.

She smiled again, this time much brighter, it might've reached her eyes had the situation been less dire, before placing her forehead against his and closing her eyes, "It's good to see you again Charizard, I've missed you…" A deep affectionate growl rumbled through his body and he nudged his nose against her stomach. When they pulled apart Charizard lifted his foot off Forrest without sparing the unconscious boy a glance, knowing that if he did he would lose control of his formidable temper. He knew it was why Misty had pulled his head away from the boy; only this woman could know him so well, as well as his own master did. She was the only human on this planet he would trust as much as he did his master.

Misty breathed an internal sigh of relief as Charizard finally lifted his foot off of Forrest, allowing Bruno and Jenny to rush in and check on the heavily injured would-be murderer. Misty turned away, returning her attention to the crowd of horrified faces hovering around Delia's slumped form, Charizard following her as she walked towards the motley crew.

Cynthia was standing off to the side yelling into her phone, something about preparing two emergency rooms. May was sobbing into Drew's neck as he held her tightly and stared grimly down at the pool of blood steady growing around the kind mother's body. Tracey was seated with his fainted girlfriend's head in his lap. Gary stood off to the side with his fists clenched and tears beading in his eyes while his grandfather kneeled in front of his best friend's mother.

When Misty saw Delia's eyes were closed she choked back a sob and tears flooded her eyes; fearing the worst until the Professor stood up and weakly spoke with a broken voice, "She's alive, but barely, she's lost a lot of blood and she needs medical attention now." "Dammit!" they suddenly heard Cynthia yell, causing them to snap their heads towards the blonde Champion. "I don't have any of my flying Pokémon with me, I let Togekiss fly around after I came back from Silver Town," she said morosely.

Misty glanced at the huge orange beast next to her and she was about to voice an idea when Bruno and Jenny joined them, the former gently carrying Forrest in his giant arms. "He's in a bad way, though not as bad Delia is, he can survive as he is for a few hours but after that, he will need urgent medical attention" the giant said solemnly before glancing at the cause of the boy's state, the very foreign expression of nervousness adorning his face. "That Charizard, you know it Ms. Waterflower?" he asked, trepidation coating his voice.

Misty nodded, "It's Ash's, and he's an incredibly powerful Pokémon, he could get the hospital in no time. I could take Delia there now, though I don't think it would be wise to bring Forrest with as well…" Charizard snorted and growled ominously, letting everyone know exactly what he thought of that idea. Cynthia nodded but not before giving Charizard a long and thoughtful gaze, "Very well, we'll take Forrest in the van. That Charizard seems to trust you Misty; will you take Delia to Viridian hospital? I have the nurses prepping an emergency room there."

Misty nodded, "Of course, I'll take her now." She moved over to the Professor who had taken off his lab coat and, with the aid of his grandson for his own frail hands could not have, torn off strips to wrap tightly around Delia's midsection. Misty bent down and gently scooped up injured woman, her muscles barely straining as she easily lifted Delia, who was a tall woman, up in a bridal position. The effects of all the swimming she did had never been more apparent as her lithe frame staggered not at all when she straightened to her feet, carrying all 70 kilograms of loving mother.

As she gently walked towards Charizard she gazed tenderly upon the sweaty face of the mother of the man she loved through teary eyes, heartbroken that the delightful woman was suffering so much and yet grateful that she could feel no pain in unconsciousness. She was followed by Cynthia, the Professor and his grandson while the rest remained where they were and watched the touching scene sorrowfully, May only for a few seconds before sobs retook her body and she plunged her head back into her boyfriend's neck, her anguished cries being muffled by his shaking body as he too stared in sorrow and horror. The poor man had seen more violence in the past couple of days than he had ever seen in his life and it was taking its toll on him.

When Misty reached Charizard who had lowered his body and extended his neck to allow for easy mounting, she gently handed Delia to Gary before clambering up the Flame Pokémon and holding her arms out once she was seated firmly behind his wings. With one last look of sadness at his best friend's mother, who had been nothing but kind and loving to him, almost as if he too were her son, a fact made all the more startling when considering how Gary used to treat Ash when they were children, he raised her up into Misty's waiting arms.

Professor Oak stepped forward and gently stroked the sweaty and pale forehead of his best friend's daughter, of his own daughter by spirit, pushing back damp strands of her auburn hair behind her ear. An impractical yet loving action brought on by the paternal love he held towards this amazing woman, whose agony-stricken face and bleeding stomach would be an image that would haunt him till the end of his days. "Keep pressure on the wound, she can't afford to lose any more blood…" he said softly to Misty, his shining reddened eyes never once leaving Delia's tranquil face.

Misty nodded before straightening and shouting to her love's strongest Pokémon, "Take us to Viridian Hospital Charizard! Takes us as quickly and gently as you can!" The beast forwent his customary roar of approval out of consideration for his master's mother and instead growled lightly before taking to the air with a single flap of his mighty wings. He flew fast and true yet he forsook his maximum speed to allow for a gentler ride for his wounded passenger. Misty meanwhile finally allowed the tears building up in her eyes to slip down her rosy cheeks as sobs wracked her body, the audible chokes reaching Charizard who gave a mournful croon unbefitting of his bestial nature in response.

The ones who remained in silence and sorrow as Charizard's form disappeared into the fiery horizon, the setting sun causing the sky to bleed red as if the very earth itself were mourning the tragic events that had just occurred. And as Cynthia and Bruno walked off, the latter with Forrest in his arms, a man and his grandson remained, watching as the bleeding sky gave way to star speckled black. Tears fell from his eyes and down his wrinkled skin as he whispered, "I'm sorry Alex."

* * *

><p><strong>I know I promised that more on Red's past would be revealed in this chapter but I decided that I should leave that until the next chapter, at least we got a glimpse of his personality in this chapter. I was toying with the idea of having Red as your typical hard arse mysterious character, but the words just begun to flow when I wrote him as a nice guy and I think it works well. Tell me what you think.<strong>

**So yeah, Forrest done fucked up now lol. For those of you who are wondering just how Charizard knew that Delia was in danger or how Red got his hands on those Team Rocket files, worry not I will explain in the next chapter. As for where Charizard came from, well I did hint his presence in the corral a couple of chapters ago, when Gible was searching for the "Dragon that was not a Dragon" to teach him to evolve. That was Charizard he was looking for.**

**By the way, if any of you are fans of Fullmetal Alchemist and Attack on Titan, feel free to check out my new story "Above The Weeping World", it's a crossover in which Ed and Al and a few others from their world find themselves training alongside Eren and gang in Titan world.**

**Until next time.**

**SwallowTheSun**


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